LENT III 2007

If one were to sit down and read one of the longer Gospels, say either Matthew or Luke, how long do we suppose it would take to read it? Even reading with extra care, slowly and deliberately, it would quite likely take less than two hours.

How long was Jesus’ public ministry? Three years. Acknowledging that St. John at the end of the Book of Revelation states, “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Rev. 22.18b), we must further acknowledge that John is referring specifically to that particular book, Revelation. Many will choose to extrapolate his saying to suppose that it means the entire collection of books that we call the Bible. That he is referring only to his revelation is made clear in the next verse, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (Rev. 22.19a). The same John, at the end of the Gospel that bears his name states, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21.25).

Again, recalling that it would take us less than two hours to read any of the Gospels, cover to cover, and that our Lord’s public ministry lasted three years, there must be many things that He said or did that are not included in the Gospels. For example, in Acts 20.35, St. Paul tells the elders of Ephesus, “… remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give that to receive’,” which words of Jesus appear nowhere in the Gospels.

Which finally brings us to today’s particular Gospel reading from Chapter 11 of Luke where bystanders accuse Jesus of casting out devils by Beelzebul. After using simple logic to make the obvious point that, if He made a possessed man whole, as He had just done, it would be frankly silly to assume that He was in league with the evil spirits who had been in possession of the man.

He then continues His teaching about good versus evil by contrasting a strong man in his palace being overcome by a stronger man. From the context of the whole episode, it has always been understood that the “strong man” represents Satan, and the “stronger man” Jesus Himself. Still, one wonders whether perhaps His disciples asked Him to clarify this afterwards, as they did on other occasions that have been recorded, whereas this one was simply not recorded, just as His saying, “It is more blessed to give” was not recorded in the Gospels.

Our Lord then goes on into the graphic parable of an unclean spirit leaving a man, and then walking through dry places seeking rest and, finding none, returns to his “house”, the man, which he finds cleaned up; but then, tragically for the likely unsuspecting man, goes and takes to himself seven other spirits more wicked than the first.

It is not terribly difficult to determine that the main point that Jesus was trying to make here was that, it is one thing to be able to rid oneself of a bad spirit, but we must then turn towards God lest we end up permitting that bad spirit back in, along with a whole host of other bad spirits that are worse than the one who has returned to his prior “home”. Is there any special significance to the “dry places” through which the expunged spirit walks seeking rest?” And, why the number seven? Is it just our Lord’s use of that important number, the perfect number, the number of completion in Hebrew understanding, or is there a significance otherwise? And did He explain these to His disciples privately without that explanation being recorded?

When we consider the many analogies in Holy Scripture to vineyards and gardens, we quickly understand the reference to the desire that each of us may be like good ground, bringing forth the fruit of holiness and good works abundantly, all under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. But the devil is just as interested in what might be construed as his sort of “good” ground; the kind of soul in which he can bring forth his particular fruits. Thus, the reference to the evil spirit “walking through dry places” implies that he does indeed try to tempt others, but he finds only those who are free of the kind of ground that he seeks - which is to say, from his perspective, they are “dry” and he “finds no rest” in terms of another soul in whom he might wreak havoc. St. Bruno, the 11^th century founder of the Carthusian order, phrased it this way, “going out he walks through dry and waterless places, tempting those that are free of the sap of malice and of lust, and in whom he finds no rest; since he seeks what is corrupt and moist.” As he could find no foothold in the good, he turns back to the wicked - that poor fellow who thought that he had managed to rid himself of all evil spirits, blissfully unaware that the hole left by the devil’s prior departure needed to be filled.

So the unclean spirit returns and finds a vacant, waiting space in the soul of this man. What do we make of the “seven other spirits?” The same St. Bruno sees a particular significance in the number seven. “But who are these seven spirits? Why also are they seven? Why are they more wicked than himself? Because seven are the gifts of the Holy Ghost, by means of which every soul is converted to faith in Christ, and defended against the contrary evils.” Here, St. Bruno is referring to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit as articulated in Isaiah 11.2 & 3 and for which, during the Confirmation service, immediately before the bishop lays hands on the candidates, he prays “Confirm and strengthen them, we beseech thee, Or Lord, with the Holy Spirit the Comforter, and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace; the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and might; the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear.”

St. Bruno continues, “Therefore the unclean spirit takes unto him those seven wickeder, contrary, spirits, with which he defends the house against the virtues.”

“Namely, opposing the spirit of stupidity to the spirit of wisdom; the spirit of revolt and unreason to the spirit of understanding; the spirit of rashness to the spirit of counsel; the spirit of inconstancy and fear to the spirit of fortitude; the spirit of ignorance to the spirit of knowledge; the spirit of impiety to the spirit of piety; the spirit of contempt and hate to the spirit of the fear of the Lord.”

“Unhappy the soul where these seven evil spirits dwell, and wherein they rule. For these are, in a certain way, worse than the one who brought them there; since it is they who in this life corrupt souls; while he, after this life, torments them. He opens the door; they, once entered, lay waste and destroy everything within. He tempts; they kill. He can tempt and vex a man; but without these others he cannot kill the soul. And so they are worse than he is; for they injure more grievously than he can. He, tempting and persuading, is truly wicked; they by doing and destroying are yet more wicked.”

Such strong imagery from the blessed abbot, on a most appropriate topic to the season, certainly reminds us why this passage was chosen as a reading during Lent, doesn’t it?

Therefore, as we continue our individual Lenten journeys and disciplines, let us take heed to what this parable of Jesus teaches. Any of us may have chosen to work on a particular besetting vice during this penitential season. And perhaps we are having good success, by the grace of God, in ridding ourselves of that unclean spirit. But once we have been swept and garnished, let us not sit back and think to ourselves, “Well done.” Our Lord teaches us quite clearly that the heart of man cannot remain empty and unclaimed. The room of the heart must either be the temple of God or the den of Satan, if we may speak as plainly as did St. Bruno, and as does the parable itself.

It is a wonderful thing indeed if we have made progress in terms of turning away from a particular habitual sin; however, let us also pray that we fill that void with God so that it may not be said of any of us that the last state of that man is worse than the first.

ANNUNCIATION OTTAWA 2007 +CLR