Today, we are amazed to see how Jesus is preposterously “accused” of driving out demons “by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Lk 11:15). It is difficult to imagine a better deed —to expel, to rid their souls of the Devil, the instigator of evil— and, at the same time, to witness the most ignoble accusation —that He is doing it, precisely, by the power of the very Devil—. It is really a unwarranted accusation, which shows and reflects a great blindness and jealousy in the Lord's accusers. Today too, without realizing it, we tend to ignore the right other people have to dissent, to be different and to have their own positions, whether different or even in direct opposition to ours.

He, who lives cloistered in a political, cultural or ideological bigotry, easily despises the dissenting one and disqualifies all his projects by denying him any proficiency and, even, any honesty. Often, the political or ideological adversary becomes a personal enemy. Confrontation degenerates into affront and aggressiveness. This climate of mutual zealotry and violent rejection may then lead us to the temptation of somehow eliminating he who appears to be our rival.

In this environment is it easy to justify any attack against people, even, murder, provided the dead one does not belong in our circle. How many people are today distressed by this atmosphere of mutual intolerance and denial, which, more often than not, is to be found in our public institutions, our places of work or in meetings and political confrontation!

We must create, amongst ourselves, a climate of tolerance and mutual respect with the conditions for steadfast and loyal confrontations, where it is possible to seek different ways of dialogue. As for we Christians, rather than hardening and wrongly consecrating our positions by manipulating God’s word and identifying Him with our own attitude, we have to follow that Jesus who —when John wanted to prevent someone else from casting out demons in His name— corrected him while saying: “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you” (Lk 9:50). Inasmuch as “the countless chorus of shepherds becomes the single body of the one and only Shepherd” (St. Augustine).