The Devil's Division & Christ's Reconciliation
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June 26, 2026Over the past two weeks, we have reflected on an often-overlooked aspect of discipleship: Christ gives His followers “power over unclean spirits.” We began by noting that the devil of reality is not always the devil of the movies. He is usually far more subtle. Rather than coming at us through strange manifestations or obvious evil, he more often works through resentment, fear, discouragement, mistrust, and confusion. His power is limited because he is a creature, not God’s equal. In the end, much of the power he has over us is the power we surrender to him.
Last week, we reflected on the first of the four D’s: deception. The devil cannot make evil truly good, so he tries to make evil appear attractive, reasonable, harmless, or necessary. Our response is to remain close to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
This week, we turn to the second tactic: division. The word “devil” is related to the Greek diabolos, suggesting one who separates or splits apart. Christ gathers. Division is not simply one strategy. It reveals something essential about the devil’s work. The devil scatters. Christ gathers. Christ reconciles. The devil separates.
Division begins in our relationship with God. Once deception persuades us to distrust Him, we begin to imagine that happiness can be found apart from Him. Prayer becomes less important. And God’s commandments start to feel like restrictions rather than the path to life. Sin promises independence, but leaves us isolated from the source of life.
Division also happens within ourselves. We can believe one thing and live another. We can desire holiness while clinging to destructive habits. We can present one image to the world while hiding another interior reality. This fragmentation exhausts the soul. Saint Paul reminds us that through Baptism we have died with Christ so that we “might live in newness of life.” Baptism gives us a new identity. We are called to be “dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”
The devil also divides us from one another. He exploits differences and turns them into hostility. He uses fear, envy, comparison, contempt, resentment, suspicion, old wounds, and pride to drive us apart. Eventually, people stop seeing one another as persons and instead see only obstacles or enemies. The devil wants us to believe unity is impossible and reconciliation undesirable.
Our differences do not have to destroy communion. This Sunday’s readings offer another path. In the first reading, a woman receives the prophet Elisha with generous hospitality. She makes room for him with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. That simple act of welcome becomes the place where God’s blessing enters her household. Whereas division closes doors, love makes room.
In the Gospel, Jesus says something that at first sounds almost divisive: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” But Jesus is not teaching us to love our families less. He is teaching us to love God first, because only when God is first can every other love be rightly ordered. When we place even good relationships above God, they can become possessive, fearful, or controlling. When we love God above all, our love for others becomes freer and more truthful.
Then Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me.” Even a cup of cold water given to a disciple will not be forgotten. This is the opposite of division. The Kingdom of God is built through communion: receiving one another, making room for one another, and recognizing Christ in one another.
The remedy for division is reconciliation in Christ. That does not mean pretending differences do not exist. It does not mean avoiding truth or ignoring responsibility. It means refusing to treat another person as an enemy. It means resisting contempt and dehumanizing speech. It means practicing forgiveness, seeking justice, remaining connected to the Christian community, and working toward unity even when immediate agreement is impossible.
This week, let us ask: Where is division taking root in me? Where have I allowed resentment, contempt, or suspicion to shape the way I see another person? Through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, may Christ heal what sin has divided and make us instruments of His peace.