Help Me!
Only Christ can save us. Many times we face troubles in life, we do not know where to turn, and we end up trying to save ourselves or look to the world. There is only one Savior, it is Jesus the Lord. The Gospel this past Monday, Jesus is accused of using Satan to drive out demons, and His response is to point out that if Satan drove out Satan, his kingdom would not stand.
Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Often times people turn to worldly things to get rid of worldly problems. Yet it is Christ who offers us freedom. When there is something in our lives that plagues us, sin that we cannot overcome, worries that crush us, betrayals to wound us, illnesses that frighten us, we are not able to completely solve for ourselves what needs to be done.
I cannot overcome sin, even the 12 step program recognizes this. I cannot cure my worry, destroy this source of my anxiety. I am not in control of the world. The Lord Jesus is.
This does not mean, however, to abandon all self responsibility. Rather, it means that I turn to prayer, Confession, and Eucharist more intentionally. Pope John XXIII had a great prayer that he prayed every night, "Lord, this is your church, take care of her, now, I go to sleep."
In your life, work as if the wolrd depends on you, but pray like it dfepends on God. Begin your day, every day in Scripture and in prayer. Read the Gospel for the day, let God speak to you about that Gospel, tell God what you have that day and ask for His guidance. Allow the Lord Jesus to be your savior, do not attempt to take that job onto yourself. Ask to the Lord to guide you, don't take on some other guide. The world is full of false prophets, the only way to the Truth, to Peace, and to Joy, is the Lord. Lord Jesus, I do believe, help my unbelief.