The Finger of God

Seeing how Jesus’ humanity teaches us theology

03/27/2025

Luke 11:14-23 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

This week is Spring Break for all schools in Arkansas and I have enjoyed seeing posts of people’s vacation pictures. Some are in San Antonio visiting the Alamo. Others have hit the beach and trying to get a tan to look more like Fr. John. Still others are hiking in the mountains and hitting the ski resorts. What have you been doing for Spring Break? Maybe enjoying that lots of people have left Fort Smith, and there is no school traffic in the morning – a staycation!

Let me share what I have been up to this week and my Spring Break plans. Last weekend I flew to San Antonio to give a retreat to a small Bible study group. They have watched my online Bible studies and somehow survived. They wanted me to come in person and share more. I felt like Darby Bybee the weatherman who jumps off the television to come to your house to predict the weather – a celebrity!

My show was not about the chance of rain or a cold front moving in but about Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. I did not try to forecast the weather but just forecast the faith, that is, we explored how our bodies tell us about God, and surprisingly, can teach us theology. Hence, it is called the theology of the body. The group of participants was really engaged and had lots of questions and comments. But some I suspect would have probably enjoyed Darby Bybee more.

Then on  Thursday and Friday this week, I will go to Subiaco to give a retreat to the women participating in Project Rachel. Have you heard of Project Rachel? It is a support group for women recovering and healing from a past abortion. I have visited Project Rachel groups before and always been amazed at the courage, humility, and love of these ladies to face their past and ask God to heal their deep wounds.

Again, I will share my presentations on the Theology of the Body with these wonderful women. Why? Well, these brave women are facing the hard truth of what an abortion is, namely, the taking of an innocent human life. Of course, we do not condemn these ladies but rather help them to confront their past, humbly acknowledge their mistakes, and turn to God for healing, forgiveness, mercy, and strength. As Pope St. John Paul put it: there can be no love without truth, and no truth without love.

But my hope is that through this brief retreat on the Theology of the Body, these ladies will not feel more guilt but more grace. In other words, they will see their own beautiful bodies as a theology, and then within a family, bring more babies into the world whose bodies will also be a theology, a way for the world to get to know God. Would you please pray for the success of this retreat with Project Rachel today and tomorrow?

In the gospel today, Jesus drives out demons but is questioned by the people. So he says: “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” In other words, there is more power in Jesus’ little finger than all the power of hell. And therefore there is likewise more theology in Jesus’ little finger than in all the theology books ever written. Why?

Because by virtue of his incarnation, Jesus took on a human body – in Latin famously said as “incarnatum factum est” and we genuflect at the words in the Creed at Christmas – and therefore as John Paul said, “the body entered theology by the main door.” That is, in Jesus’ finger we find the power of God to cast out demons but also the wisdom of God to tell us how much he loves us and wants us to love him in return.

Jesus became a man not only so God could love us in a way we could understand but also so we could love God in a way that we could understand. Indeed, Jesus becomes not just a Body, but in a few minutes he becomes Bread, again to show  his love for us, and allow us to show our love for him. And that is what I am doing for Spring Break: casting out demons by the finger of God, teaching the Theology of the Body.

Praised be Jesus Christ!