A time of Lexio devena for the discerning heart.

Thursday of the third week in Lent.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

For the next few moments,

surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart, Jesus, I trust in you. You take over.

Become aware that he is with you looking upon you with love wanting to be heard deep within your heart a reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Luke,

Chapter 11, verses 14 through 23.

Jesus was casting out a devil, and it was dumb.

But when the devil had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed.

But some of them said, It is through Bielasible the prince of devils that he casts out devils.

Others asked him as a test for a sign from heaven. But knowing what they were thinking, he said to them,

Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for ruin,

and a household divided against itself collapses.

So too with Satan.

If he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? Since you assert that

it is through Bielasible that I cast out devils. Now, if it is through Bielzable that I cast

out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I

cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man,

fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him,

the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

What word made this passage come alive for you? What word made this passage come alive for you? What did you sense the Lord saying to you.

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