On Luke 11:15-26
There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others, say: ‘But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness’. They do not read this, no? It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the devil! And we do not have the right to simplify the matter, as if to say: ‘All of these (people) were not possessed; they were mentally ill’. No! The presence of the devil is on the first page of the Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the devil, with the victory of God over the devil.
And we can ask ourselves the question: Do I guard myself, my heart, my feelings, my thoughts? Do I guard the treasure of grace? Do I guard the presence of the Holy Spirit in me? Or do I let go, feeling secure, believing that all is going well? But if you do not guard yourself, he who is stronger than you will come. But if someone stronger comes and overcomes, he takes away the weapons in which one trusted, and he shall divide the spoil. Vigilance! Three criteria! Do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be so on the last day.
Be vigilant because the devil's strategy is this: ‘You became Christian. Advance in your faith. The devil will leave you alone. He will leave you at peace. But then when you are used to not being so watchful and you feel secure, he will come back.' Today's Gospel begins with the devil being cast out and ends with the devil coming back! St. Peter said ‘It's like a fierce lion that circles us’. It is like that. ‘Some may say, but, Father, you're too old fashioned. You're frightening us with these things…’ No, it's not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord! Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the devil! Please, let's not do business with the devil! He wants to come back home, to take possession… Don't accept relativism, be vigilant! And always with Jesus!
--Pope Francis, Homily, 11 October 2013
有些神父讀到這段福音時會說:『耶穌治癒了一個精神病患者』。的確，在那個時代人們可能會將癲癇和附魔相混淆；但是魔鬼的存在也是真的！我們無權簡單地說：『這些人並非附魔；只是精神上患病』。這是不對的！魔鬼在聖經第一篇就存在，而且聖經也是以魔鬼的存在和天主戰勝魔鬼來結束的」。因此，我們「不能太天真」。
我們不能說這是誇大其詞。這不是微弱的差別，而是一場戰爭，一場攸關永恆生命，我們眾人的『永遠得救』的戰爭。
我們要時刻警惕邪惡的誘惑。我們應當自問：『我是否警惕自己，警惕我的心、我的情感、我的思想？我是否守護恩寵的珍寶？是否守護臨在於我的聖神？或者我不去理會，認為一切都會安好呢？』要知道，如果你不好好守護，比你更強大的那一位便會來臨。他將打敗你，奪走你所依賴的武器，瓜分你的戰利品。所以一定要警惕！
Guard your feelings and thoughts! Beware of the returning devil!
