Some days the Scriptures sound like a siren. Today’s readings carry the piercing note of a trumpet and the steady drum of judgment—but also the reassuring cadence of a stronger Mercy drawing us into safety. Joel calls for fasting and tears (Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2), the Psalm insists God judges the world with justice (Ps 9:8-9), and the Gospel exposes the futility of a divided heart while revealing Christ as the Stronger One who liberates and unifies (Lk 11:15-26). The question beneath them all is simple and searching: What fills our inner house?
The Alarm and the Nearness of the Day (Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2)
Joel’s summons—“Proclaim a fast, call an assembly… cry to the LORD!” (Jl 1:14)—was born amid catastrophe, likely a devastating locust plague that became a window onto the “day of the LORD,” a time when God’s light exposes what we trust and whom we serve (Jl 1:15; 2:1-2). The prophetic alarm is not panic-mongering; it is mercy in a loud voice. When life feels like a blur of headlines and pressures, the trumpet blast becomes a gift, interrupting our autopilot and calling us back to first love.
St. John Chrysostom, a master of pastoral realism, always paired fasting with love. It is not enough to refrain from food, he taught, if we still feast on resentment or indifference to the poor. In that spirit, Joel’s call invites an integrated response: repentance that becomes repair, prayer that overflows into generosity, soberness that births hope. In a culture of distraction and outrage, a deliberate fast—food or media—can restore attention to God and compassion to neighbor.
Justice That Judges and Heals (Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9)
“The Lord will judge the world with justice” (Ps 9:9). For many, judgment sounds like threat. Psalm 9 insists it is good news. God’s throne is steady (Ps 9:8), and His judgment is equitable (Ps 9:9). This is the opposite of arbitrariness or cruelty; it is the promise that the universe is not run by whim or force but by a holy Love that sets things right. Divine judgment unmasks the traps we set for others—the pits into which we eventually fall ourselves (Ps 9:16)—and makes space for mercy to rebuild what sin has collapsed.
St. Augustine knew this unmasking from the inside. He described the divided self that wants to choose the good but keeps compromising—“a house divided,” as Jesus puts it (Lk 11:17). Augustine discovered that God’s judgment does not humiliate; it heals by putting our loves back in order. “Our heart is restless until it rests in you,” he wrote, because only God can unify our scattered desires.
The Finger of God and the Stronger One (Luke 11:15-22)
Accused of casting out demons by demonic power, Jesus responds with piercing logic: a kingdom at war with itself collapses (Lk 11:17-18). He then reveals the deeper truth: “If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk 11:20). Luke’s phrase “finger of God” evokes Exodus (Ex 8:19), the sign that divine authority—not spectacle—has arrived. In Matthew’s parallel, Jesus says “by the Spirit of God” (Mt 12:28). The point is the same: in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is at work, and the reign of God is breaking in.
Jesus’ image of the “strong man” guarding his palace (Lk 11:21) names the real resistance we face—sin, lies, addictions, principalities. But He immediately adds that a “stronger one” overcomes and disarms him (Lk 11:22). The Alleluia verse interprets this victory: when Christ is lifted up—on the cross and in glory—He “draws all” to Himself and casts out the “prince of this world” (Jn 12:31-32). Liberation is not self-help; it is the presence of a stronger Love.
Empty Houses and Holy Habits (Luke 11:24-26)
Jesus warns that deliverance without discipleship is dangerous. When an unclean spirit leaves a person and later returns to find the “house swept and in order” but empty, it comes back with reinforcements, and “the last condition… is worse than the first” (Lk 11:24-26). The problem is not cleanliness but vacancy. The soul cannot remain neutral; emptiness will be filled by something.
Here the wisdom of St. Gregory of Nyssa helps. He taught that the spiritual life is a continual “stretching forward” toward God—epektasis—a journey without stagnation because God’s goodness is inexhaustible. The way to keep the house safe is not only to close old doors but to open the central door to Christ and keep moving deeper into His life. Holy habits fill the house: daily prayer, Scripture, frequent Eucharist and Confession, concrete works of mercy, accountability in community. These are not add-ons; they are oxygen for a soul that has breathed smoke.
Gathering with Christ in a Scattered Age (Luke 11:23)
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Lk 11:23). In a time of polarization, that line cuts through our illusions of neutrality. Our words, clicks, and choices either gather or scatter; they build communion or erode it. Chrysostom often warned that the tongue can become a sword against the body of Christ. To be “with” Jesus is not merely to agree with Him but to join His mission of gathering the lost, reconciling enemies, and lifting up the poor.
This also means examining how we consume media, how we disagree, and how we steward influence. Are we amplifying contempt or making space for truth and mercy? Do our homes, teams, and parishes feel more unified because we are there? The Stronger One gathers. So do His friends.
A Prophetic Fast for Today (Joel 1:14; 2:1)
Joel’s trumpet can be answered with a simple, concrete rule of life that fills the house and gathers with Christ:
- Fast weekly from one meal—and from doomscrolling—for the sake of focused prayer (Jl 1:14; Ps 9:2-3).
- Give what you save to someone in need or a trusted charity (Ps 9:9; Lk 11:23).
- Pray with the day’s Gospel for ten minutes, asking the Holy Spirit—the “finger of God”—to reveal one practical act of reconciliation (Lk 11:20).
- Seek Confession this month, naming not only obvious sins but divided loyalties, then receive the Eucharist with intention to live “with” Christ in one concrete relationship (Lk 11:23-26).
Hope at the Sound of the Trumpet
The day of the Lord draws near not to crush but to clarify. The Psalm’s throne is steady; the Gospel’s Stronger One is present; the Spirit’s finger writes mercy on our hearts. Christ has already been “lifted up” and is drawing us into a unity our efforts alone cannot secure (Jn 12:31-32). The invitation is urgent and beautiful: let Him fill the house.
Lord Jesus, Stronger One, gather what is scattered in us. Drive out what divides us. Fill the empty rooms with Your Spirit, and teach us to fast, to love, and to build up Your people. Amen.