Main news for 11 July 2022

Both the scribes and the Pharisees ask Christ to perform a sign, and many among the people would, perhaps, have joined in such a request. It appears that the crowd not only knows in advance what such a sign should be, but also would like to dictate the conditions under which it is performed. Refusing to let the crowd see what it can imagine and is already prepared to interpret according to its own understanding, Christ gives another sign: His Resurrection. It will be rejected by many people, but it will still become a sign for the whole world, completely unexpected and impossible to fit into consciousness, yet grasped by faith. Signs by themselves may not lead to faith, but faith gives the ability to see the meaning of signs.

The words about what can happen after an unclean spirit is cast out apply not only to those who cast out demons "without proper qualification." Here we see a warning about the difficulties that arise on the paths of spiritual life, about its seriousness, and about the responsibility to preserve what has been received. For we risk handing the swept room over to seven more evil unclean spirits every time we voluntarily return to habitual sinful inclinations that had supposedly already been cast aside. It is hardly accidental that these words stand next to the warning about the inadmissibility of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord is merciful. But is it possible to receive mercy while turning away from its Giver?

Why is this text so important for us? It warns us against one very dangerous situation. Let us note that, in general, Christ's commandments and the Gospel as a whole can in a certain sense be compared to road signs that warn of danger: for example, "sharp curve," "slope," or "ice." They really are bright symbols, carefully placed to warn us away from trouble.

What troubles, then, does the text given to us today by the Lord warn us against? There is something here to think about. What does a person experience when he understands that he has come through some temptation with honor? As a rule, he experiences a certain pride; there is no getting around it. And perhaps, to some extent, this is normal. But the question is precisely one of measure, the eternal question of measure: as soon as the measure is exceeded, a crack opens into our inner space, where the place once occupied by sin has not yet had time to be occupied by anything else.

Yes, our victories should be precious to us, but we must not forget the main thing: after Christ conquered, He Himself was conquered, nailed to the Cross, crucified. So we too, after conquering evil in ourselves, are in fact wounded by it, sick with it. And we need to guard our inner space very carefully, as someone going outside after a severe sore throat must wrap his throat well and put on warm socks.

Has the Kingdom of God reached us? In the Gospel the Lord connects the coming of the Kingdom, on the one hand, with victory over the forces of evil, over Satan, and on the other hand, with the action of the Holy Spirit in people's lives. For it is by the Spirit that He casts out demons and heals diseases, and in denying this fact the Lord points to the danger of unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. So the Kingdom of God not only awaits us beyond the grave, but is also realized here on earth, wherever people give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to act through them. The actions of the Spirit can be very diverse (1 Cor chs. 12-13), but the chief one is love. Therefore, to reach the Kingdom, little is required of us: first, complete trust in and openness to God, allowing His Spirit to act in our life; and second, attentiveness to His actions, allowing us not to quench His life in us, but on the contrary, to respond to it with thanksgiving.