By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily during a Mass at Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Hialeah where he installed three seminarians as acolytes. The Mass was celebrated March 27, 2025.
A picture speaks a thousand words - which is why, today, we can be more effective when we can accompany words with images. That's why teachers today use power points - and incorporate photos, graphs, maps and other visuals into their presentations.
Perhaps homilies might be more effective - and certainly more interesting - if we could figure out how to incorporate effectively audio-visual resources into them.
Of course, some liturgical purists might object - but in today's Gospel, Jesus does just that. He didn't have a laptop to project a PowerPoint, but he did have "miracles" -they were powerful "visuals" that illustrated what he was preaching about. He talked about the Kingdom - well, in the miracle, there was the Kingdom breaking into the world.
Of course, Jesus performs this miracle on the way to Jerusalem - and we know what awaits him there. He is involved in a cosmic struggle: this is the struggle of life versus death; sin versus grace; God versus the devil. He expels a demon who has made a man deaf and dumb. Jesus heals him - as Jesus healed us when at Baptism the priest or deacon also performed an exorcism on us touching our ears and our lips so that we might one day hear the Word of God and proclaim it.
Today, people are more skeptical: we have a harder time believing in miracles or in exorcisms. But in the Gospel, today even those opposed to Jesus didn't question the fact of the miracle. It was obvious: the dumb man speaks. The Pharisees don't question the miracle, but they question the source of Jesus' power. He casts out devils, they say, by the power of Beelzebub.
And so, the Pharisees here are engaging in a tactic - still quite common today in politics - It is called "poisoning the well". They try to put down Jesus by associating him with something commonly repulsive - Beelzebub, for the Jews, is the Lord of the flies - that is, the Lord of the dung heap.
Here in the conduct of the Pharisees we see something of the mystery of iniquity. There is something demonic about their opposition. If Satan had rendered that man literally deaf and dumb, they are figuratively deaf, dumb and blind! Isaiah says, "Woe to those who call good evil and evil good."
And isn't the crisis of our age when evil is called good, and good evil?
So, if the opponents of Jesus say that he cast out demons in the name of Beelzebub, we should not be surprised that our opponents say something similar about the Church and the miracles we help bring about every day. Despite those that would try to "poison the well", the Kingdom is breaking into the world.
In this miracle and in all of Jesus' miracles including the miracle of his Passover we can see that there is that cosmic battle being waged between good and evil; but Satan is being defeated. "If I drive out demons by the figure of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you."
We celebrate the Kingdom breaking into the world at every Eucharist. That bread is changed into the Body of Christ, that wine is changed into the Blood of Christ is a miracle that we witness to every day.
Both St. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine speak of the angels surrounding the altar and helping the priest when he is celebrating Holy Mass.
Tonight, three members of this Redemptoris Mater Seminary are installed in the ministry of Acolyte in order to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially the Eucharistic Liturgy. Besides the deacon and the priest, the acolyte is the one closest to the altar. The Acolyte’s ministry is linked closely to the sacred ministry of the priesthood: two of the main duties of an acolyte is to set up the altar and assist in distributing Holy Communion.
So as acolytes you will have the honor to be there among the heavenly hosts and to join them in their praise and thanksgiving to God. Together with the angels of the Lord, you prepare the altar where the Lord becomes the High Priest offering Himself as the perfect Sacrifice and on which He becomes the Bread from Heaven to feed His sheep.
As the Gospel reading today brings home to us, there is that cosmic battle being waged between good and evil; but Satan is being defeated. "If I drive out demons by the figure of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you." Jesus assures us.
We have to see ourselves as part of this cosmic battle - and we have to make sure we're on the right side; in any case, there is no room for neutrality. Lent calls us to walk with Jesus along his way, the way to Jerusalem. We are either on the way with him or we are in the way.
