"...evil spirits obey Him."

Evil is of two kinds, moral and physical. The Lord expels the demons by force of His Divine power and thus frees the suffering one from this oppression.

"The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal life." (CCC 324)

Worse than physical evil is the moral evil whereby man misuses the gift of free will and chooses to disobey God. This evil we call sin.

"Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history. He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error:

'Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness.' " (CCC 1707)

Christ is anointed, He is "the Holy One" in whom the holiness of God is found in its fullness, for He is "anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power". He is man's only hope in the struggle against evil. In Him only are we made holy through His power to cast out evil.

"Jesus' messianic consecration reveals his divine mission, 'for the name "Christ" implies "he who anointed," "he who was anointed" and "the very anointing with which he was anointed." The one who anointed is the Father, the one who was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the Spirit who is the anointing.'(St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres., 3, 18, 3:PG 7 / 1, 934.)

"His eternal messianic consecration was revealed during the time of his earthly life at the moment of his baptism by John, when 'God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,' 'that he might be revealed to Israel' (Acts 10:38; Jn 1:31) as its Messiah. His works and words will manifest him as 'the Holy One of God.' " (Mark 1:24; John 6:69; Acts 3:14) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 438.)

Meeting Christ in the Liturgy offers a reflection for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

(Art: Jesus Expels Demons, Stephen Sly.)

Young People Stand Up for Life!

Photos by MCITL of the Youth Rally and Mass at Verizon Center in Washington, DC, on Thursday, 22 January 2009.

Note from a reader

MCITL shares a kind note from one of our readers:

Good afternoon Father,

Kudos to Msgr. Joseph Schaedel for his witty letter to his parishioners! I laughed out loud when he encouraged us to go get therapy if we were upset the Sign of Peace was omitted. Quite the opposite for me a couple of years ago, I was needing therapy when a local priest MADE us cross the center aisle and hold hands with everyone during the sign of peace. LOL.

Father Cusick, I just found your blog and found it refreshing. Keep up the good work.

Pax Christi.
Laura

Thank you, Laura, for visiting and please do so often.

Our readers are welcome to send comments and questions anytime to: mcitl DOT blogspot DOT com AT gmail DOT com.

"Repent and believe in the gospel" of life!

Choose Life! Images from the 2009 March for Life, Washington, DC.











For more info about the US Bishops' postcard campaign to defeat passage of the Freedom of Choice (to kill) Act, please visit the website for the National Campaign for a Human Life Amendment. There you can download and print postcards to send to your Representatives and Senators in Washington, DC. Names and addresses of your representatives to the US Congress can usually be found in the front section of the latest edition of your local phone book.



















Thank you for inaugurating the Kingdom of Christ by being agents of the Gospel of Life!

(Photos by MCITL.)

Celebrate the Inauguration: "The kingdom is at hand"

In our liturgical life this Sunday we celebrate the "inauguration" - of the Kingdom.

" 'Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying :"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the gospel." '(Mark 1:14-15) 'To carry out the will of the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth.' (Lumen Gentium 3) Now the Father's will is 'to raise up men to share in his own divine life.' (LG 2) He does this by gathering men around his Son Jesus Christ. This gathering is the Church, 'on earth the seed and beginning of that kingdom.' (Lumen Gentium 5)" (CCC 541)

The constant work, "leitourgos", which Christ has ordained for the Church is the liturgy. This work makes the kingdom present for the renewal and conversion of Christians and of all mankind.

"Within the Church Christ calls all men to conversion, as the unfolding and growth of baptismal grace. "Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom (Mark 1:14-15). In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism (Acts 2:38) that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life." (CCC 1427)

Meeting Christ in the Liturgy offers a reflection for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

(Art: Duccio di Buoninsegna, The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, 1308/1311. Samuel H. Kress Collection 1939.1.141, National Gallery of Art.)

Deathwatch

And so it begins.

In mourning on this day, on which Our Lord died on His holy Cross, for the unborn children now at risk through President Obama's act authorizing funding for the murder of these children abroad. The cult of death advances...

Read more here.

With sadness,

Marching for Life

Please pray today for all who "March for Life" in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere around our nation, that their efforts may lead to a day soon when every human life will be protected as sacred, made by God in His image and likeness, from the moment of conception until natural death, in all its stages and conditions.

(Photo: Hands of seven week old child from Priests for Life.)