20260312 STAND UP FOR JESUS AND HIS KINGDOM
12 March 2026, Thursday, 3rd Week of Lent
First reading |
Jeremiah 7:23-28 |
Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God
These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.
But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9 |
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Gospel Acclamation | Ezk18:31 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Or: | Joel2:12-13 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | Luke 11:14-23 |
Know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you
Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’
STAND UP FOR JESUS AND HIS KINGDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 7:23-28; PS 94:1-2,6-9; LK 11:14-23]
At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with a decision that each of us must make. “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” With regard to Jesus and His Kingdom, there is no question of neutrality. In this cosmic battle against evil, we can choose only one side, either the kingdom of Satan or the Kingdom of God; the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of light. These two kingdoms are diametrically opposed and cannot co-exist, because where there is light, darkness cannot remain. It is an either-or choice. To refuse to choose Jesus is already to stand on the side of the Evil One. By denying Jesus, we deny the truth of the Kingdom He has come to establish. So today we are asked whether we will stand with Jeremiah and our Lord to proclaim the Kingdom of God, or whether we will be like the Israelites who refused to listen to the voice of God.
In the First Reading, Jeremiah was sent by God to call the people to repentance, even though God knew they would not be listening to his message. God’s message was clear. “These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper.” The people were facing the onslaught of the Babylonians and were very much intimidated. But instead of listening to Jeremiah, who brought them the Word of God, they chose to rely on their political allies. Their inability to hear the Word of God and to trust in Him was because they, like their forefathers before them, chose to rebel against God rather than submit to Him in obedience. “But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me from the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets. But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors.”
On the other hand, they continued offering sacrifices and worship, pretending to serve God. But their worship was in vain because they were not pursuing holiness and obedience. God had already spoken through the Prophet Hosea: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6) Through the Prophet Micah, God said, “do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:6) The sacrifices they rendered were useless because, as the prophets have always told the people, obedience to the ethical demands of the covenant must come before cultic observances. Indeed, as the Lord also said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Mt 9:13)
Yet despite knowing that the people would not repent, the Lord still told Jeremiah to continue preaching. He said, “You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, ‘Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.'” What, then, is the use of preaching to a people who will not listen? St Paul, in his letter to Timothy, also exhorted him: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:1f)
In the Gospel, we see Jesus also proclaiming the coming of God’s Kingdom and demonstrating its presence through His work of exorcism. Yet, instead of responding with docility to the coming of God’s Kingdom, the people were unconvinced. Some were sceptical, others had reservations, and some kept demanding more signs. Worst of all, some even suggested that Jesus cast out the devil in league with Beelzebul, the prince of demons: “‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven.”
We can imagine how frustrated we might have been in the face of people who not only remain stubborn after hearing the message from God but even hurl slanders against us. Yet Jesus remained firm in His stand and clearly pointed out the contradiction in their accusation: “Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out?”
Indeed, the Jews were inconsistent with their objections against Jesus. They had already made up their minds that Jesus could not possess divine power, and therefore concluded that His exorcisms must be done in league with the Evil One. But as the Lord pointed out, if that were so, then they would also be condemning themselves, since they accepted the exorcisms performed by others. The Jews never denied that exorcism was a supernatural act of God, but they refused to accept Jesus’ divine authority.
Consequently, there could be only two possibilities: either it was the work of the Evil One or the work of God. “Let them be your judges, then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.” Truly, Jesus was claiming that His miracles and His works of exorcism were signs of the presence of God’s rule on earth in Him. The Kingdom of God had arrived with Jesus, for He had authority over the Evil One and, as the stronger one, had overcome him.
So what purpose does preaching serve when we know that our listeners are closed off, and will not hear our message with docility and openness? Firstly, it exposes the stubbornness of our listeners’ hearts, their persistent state of rebellion rooted in pride and a lack of faith in God. By refusing to listen to the voice of God spoken through Jeremiah, the people had no one to blame but themselves. When we sin against God and suffer the consequences of sin, we must look to ourselves rather than blaming God or others. As St Paul reminds us, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” (Gal 6:7-10) Indeed, we must continue to sow the Word of God regardless of whether we are heard or not.
Secondly, the preaching of the Word of God makes it clear that God gives us the freedom to respond. He is patient with us in our ignorance. We cannot say that we have not been given chances to understand the reality of our problems. God does not surprise us by catching us when we are ignorant. God always gives us signs to remind us to walk the way of truth. He reminds us of our forefathers’ mistakes and warns us not to follow them lest we suffer the same judgement.
Indeed, with the psalmist, we must not lose hope, but continue to pray for them saying, “Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us: for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.” Who knows – perhaps even the most hardened sinner may eventually respond to the grace of God. Our task is to continue proclaiming the Word, and to pray that they may repent somehow by the grace of God.
Let us, therefore, make our stand clear with regard to Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. By our obedience to His Word and living lives of charity and humble service to God and His people, we continue to build His Kingdom. Although we are imperfect, every little thing we do in building up the Kingdom of God matters. But we must also work together as one people of God, for division allows evil to prevail over our mission. “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
