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By the Finger of God

When Jesus says, “If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20), He’s revealing something profound about His divine authority.

As Fr. Mark explains, the phrase “finger of God” would have immediately reminded first-century Jews of the Exodus—the moment when God, through Moses, broke Pharaoh’s power and liberated His people from slavery. The magicians of Egypt tried to imitate God’s signs, but when they failed, they confessed, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). Later, the same phrase described how God Himself inscribed the Law on tablets of stone for Moses (Exodus 31:18).

So when Jesus uses that same expression, He’s making an unmistakable claim: the same divine power that freed Israel and wrote the Law is now acting in Him. But this time, the liberation isn’t political—it’s spiritual. Jesus comes as the new Moses to free humanity not from earthly rulers, but from the tyranny of sin and Satan.

The finger of God represents the Holy Spirit—the living power through which God acts in the world. As Fr. Mark reminds us, this same divine power is still at work through the Church today. Every time the Holy Spirit transforms bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood, every time sins are forgiven in Confession, every time grace stirs in your heart—it is by the finger of God.

God’s power is not distant. It’s real, present, and active in your life right now. Believe in that power. Invite the finger of God to touch your heart, drive out evil, and build His Kingdom within you. For where the Spirit acts, the Kingdom of God truly comes upon us.

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In today’s Gospel (Luke 12:39–48), Jesus calls us to vigilance—to be faithful stewards who live every moment ready for the coming of the Lord. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,” He says. That same spirit of responsibility and readiness defined one of the greatest saints of our time: St. John Paul II.
The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021926.cfm Father Matthew Tomeny, MIC invites us to contemplate today’s Gospel in light of the witness of St. Thomas More and St. Anthony the Great. Jesus warns, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt 16:24; NABRE). In the same breath He calls us to “pick up our cross daily and follow Me” (Lk 9:23; NABRE).
The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121825.cfm