Third Sunday of Lent 2026

The Third Sunday in Lent Gospel (Luke 11:14–28) reveals Christ as the stronger man who conquers Satan and frees souls from the power of demons, reminding the faithful that the Christian life is a real spiritual battle. When Our Lord casts out the dumb devil, the mute man speaks, showing that liberation from evil restores the soul’s ability to praise God and proclaim truth. Yet Christ warns that neutrality is impossible: “He that is not with Me is against Me.” The Gospel also cautions that a soul emptied of sin must be filled with grace, prayer, and virtue, lest evil return with greater force. True blessedness, Our Lord teaches, belongs not merely to those who admire Him but to those who hear the Word of God and keep it, calling the faithful during Lent to deeper repentance, stronger faith, and courageous witness in a world that often denies the reality of sin, the devil, and the necessity of conversion. ✠

Transcript

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In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen. My faithful, the Holy Gospel pointed for this third Sunday in Lent confronts us with one of the most profound truths of the Christian life: the reality of spiritual warfare. And he was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb. And when he cast out the devil, the dumb spoke, and the multitudes were in admiration. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Our Lord reveals here something that the modern world desperately tries to deny. There are only two kingdoms, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan. There is no neutral territory. The gospel describes a demon that makes a man mute. This is not accidental. The fathers of the church saw deep symbolism here. Saint Bede said, The dumb devil signifies the soul that cannot confess God nor praise him. Saint Gregory the Great admonished, When the devil holds the heart, the tongue grows silent in the praise of God. Spiritual muteness today is everywhere. People are silent about truth. They are silent about sin, silent about Christ, silent about the salvation of souls. The modern world says religion is private, do not impose your beliefs, truth is subjective. But our Lord casts out the demon. And the first sign of liberation is that the man speaks. Then we have the worldly Pharisee, the religious leaders of the time. They jump in. Instead of rejoicing, the enemies of Christ accuse him. He casts out devils by Belzebub. This is the sin of malicious blindness. The miracle is undeniable, but hatred refuses to accept the truth.

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St.

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Thomas Aquinas explains the sin against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate rejection of known truth. This same blindness exists today. People see the beauty of the Latin Mass, the holiness of tradition, the fruits of Catholic doctrine, yet they reject it because their pride cannot accept it. But Christ is the stronger man. Our Lord gives them a powerful image. When a strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesses. But if a stronger than he come upon him and overcome him, he will take away his armor. The church fathers explain, the strong man is Satan, and the stronger man is Christ. Before Christ came, the devil ruled this world. Paganism, idolatry, superstition, tyranny. Then Christ comes through the cross, through the sacraments, through the church. He plundered hell itself. And here's a warning. But our Lord gives a terrifying warning in the gospel. When the unclean spirit is gone out of the man, he saith, I will return to my house, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. The fathers interpret this clearly. It is not enough to remove sin. The soul must be filled with grace. If the man abandons sin but does not pursue holiness, pride enters, worldliness returns, the devil comes back stronger. St. John Christmas said, The idle soul becomes the devil's workshop. Now let's talk about the blessed woman in true blessedness. A woman cries out, Blessed is the womb that bore thee. But our Lord elevates this statement. Yea, rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. He's explaining her greatness. Mary is blessed because she perfectly obeyed God. My friends, in this time of confusion, God calls the faithful to courage. You must become defenders of truth, witnesses to tradition, guardians of the faith. You must make your home, your neighborhood, your village a domestic fortress of grace. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.