Fr Paul reads from Luke’s Gospel (11: 14-23) where Jesus was casting out a devil from a man who was mute and after doing so, the man was able to speak. The people were marvelled, but some of them said ‘He casts out devils by Beelzebul, the prince of demons’.

In today’s Gospel, Fr Paul says, Jesus has been accused of being in league of devils, and what is interesting to note, the opponents of Jesus through their allegations are admitting that Jesus did in fact cast out demons. It is impossible to know what the affect would be if someone were to be suffering a mental illness, like in the Gospel, and what their response would be when they come in to contact with the awesome and powerful person of Jesus. Because this encounter again reminds us that Jesus is divine as well as human.

Fr Paul invites us to reflect on this concept, of how Jesus Christ, who we believe in, is both divine and human.