A Reflection for Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd 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. (Lk 11:15-26)
Do you have paraskavedekatriaphobia?
That cumbersome word defines the uneasy feeling seeping into your bones as you check today’s date. Perhaps a draft (are you sure it was just a draft) gave you a chill, as your curtains created dancing shadows along the walls. Did a far-off voice just call your name? No, it must have been the wind… or was it?
Today is Friday the 13th. And this year it falls in October, which is undoubtedly the spookiest month.
Friday the 13th has been steeped in lore for centuries. While it is unclear when the superstitions surrounding today’s date began, some historians believe that they originated from the Last Supper. The 13 guests, the 13th being Judas Iscariot, joined together at the table on the day before the Friday when Jesus was crucified.
I polled the staff here at America with a simple question: Do you think Jesus could have been superstitious?
Aside from a few “just a little-stitious” responses, many answers were a resounding no. Practically speaking, many of our traditional superstitions—mirror shattering or walking underneath a ladder—did not exist within the lexicon of Jewish culture during Jesus’s time. But The Savior, who “drives out demons” in today’s Gospel, did not have to fear the unlucky number 13. The man had other things to be worried about.
I polled the staff here at America with a simple question: Do you think Jesus could have been superstitious?
The people in today’s Gospel believe that Jesus drives out demons by the power of Satan or they “ask him for a sign from heaven” to give them concrete evidence of his strength endowed by the Father. They are looking for a sign, something to point to as an explanation for Jesus’ miracles.
Human beings look for symbols on which we can place blame when we have doubts. It is in our human nature to try to maintain order over the chaotic things of life; we look for signs to give us answers to “fate” or “bad luck.” Perhaps on a day like today, we blame superstition because it is easier to point to amorphous forces for the unlucky circumstances of our lives. We believers have a difficult time equating the plans of a loving God with our experiences of bad luck. But like the people in today’s Gospel, we must begin to grapple with the fact that God’s will is pure love and does not have to show itself through signs.
Those who are willing to engage in some modern interpretation and speculation with me, I ask you the same question. Would Jesus have been a bit paranoid on a day like today? Would he look for superstitious signs? I’d like to think that even with a deep faith in the loving will of Father, if Jesus awoke on Friday the 13th of October, he’d muse with the disciples about the spooky legacy of today. Perhaps Jesus wasn’t truly superstitious because he was comfortable existing in tension and existing in the unknown. He was okay existing in the messiness and randomness of humanity while still believing in a good and loving God.
So, while Jesus is human and might be jokingly wary of a black cat crossing his path, Jesus is also gloriously divine and need not be afraid of a Friday in October.
