20251010 TAKING A FIRM STAND WITH THE LORD
10 October 2025, Friday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2 |
Let all tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming
Priests, put on sackcloth and lament.
Ministers of the altar, wail.
Come, pass the night in sackcloth,
you ministers of my God.
For the house of our God has been deprived
of oblation and libation.
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly;
elders, call together
all the inhabitants of the country
to the house of the Lord your God.
Cry out to the Lord,
‘Oh, what a day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
it comes as a devastation from Shaddai.’
Sound the trumpet in Zion,
give the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming,
yes, it is near.
Day of darkness and gloom,
day of cloud and blackness.
Like the dawn there spreads across the mountains
a vast and mighty host,
such as has never been before,
such as will never be again
to the remotest ages.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 9A(9):2-3,6,16,8-9 |
The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will recount all your wonders.
I will rejoice in you and be glad,
and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.
The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked;
you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.
The nations have fallen in the pit which they made,
their feet caught in the snare they laid.
The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the Lord sits enthroned for ever.
He has set up his throne for judgement;
he will judge the world with justice,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.
The Lord will judge the world with justice.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn12:31-32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown,
says the Lord.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all men to myself.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:15-26 |
The finger of God has overtaken you
When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people 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.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’
TAKING A FIRM STAND WITH THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Ps 9: 2-3,6,16,8-9; Lk 11:15-26]
We are living constantly between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. These two kingdoms have always at war since the beginning of time. It is up to us to allow either the reign of goodness to prevail in our lives or the reign of evil. St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians underscored that this struggle against evil is not just the evil of society and the sins of men but also the work of cosmic powers. “Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:11f)
The real challenge today is that evil is often masked and disguised as good. No one claims that what they do is evil; on the contrary, all insist that their actions serve our happiness, freedom and well-being. Even people who promote promiscuity, drug use, or excessive drinking promise fun, liberation and relaxation. In today’s world, nothing seems inherently evil or bad. Moral relativism is the real weapon of the Evil One, misleading us into believing that truth is unattainable in this world and that there is no objective standard. It insists that we suspend judgment because context is always changing. When nothing is clearly good or bad, everything becomes permissible, and we justify every action since objective truth no longer exists.
This was the temptation Jesus faced with the people around Him. One might think that casting out demons is a clear sign that Jesus was doing something good, especially in a time when evil spirits were evident and feared. Yet, instead of seeing the triumph of the Kingdom of God over the Kingdom of Satan, some accused Him of being in league with the Evil One: “It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.” This is true even today. When we speak the truth and teach Gospel values, others–even fellow Catholics–can twist the teachings to align with worldly opinions, making Church morality more “acceptable” without requiring a change in immoral positions. Ironically, those who remain faithful to the Church’s doctrines and moral teachings–consistent with Scripture and tradition–are often labelled outdated, irrelevant, judgmental, rigid, or lacking love and compassion.
There is another group of people in the Church who, when it comes to fighting against evil, do not want to make a commitment. “Others asked Jesus, as a test, for a sign from heaven.” They want more information. They want proof. They want statistics. They say “wait” and postpone judgment. This is exactly what the devil wants us all to do. They avoid making a decision and allow evil to reign – until a time when we can no longer differentiate between good and evil. When the world is blinded and swayed by the subtle arguments of intellectuals who redefine evil as good, the battle is already lost. To keep asking for a sign is to delay judgement until “the right time”. But when is the right time? The truth is, that time will never come – because making a judgement means taking a stand. And taking a stand requires courage and sincerity. Today, however, few are willing to take a stand on anything. Why? Because they fear being seen as non-inclusive. We are told we must embrace everything that is offered and try to accommodate all of it. Indeed, the principles of DEI–diversity, equity, and inclusivity–can sound appealing, even Christian. But when these concepts are not properly defined or qualified, what we are really saying is that everything is permissible and should be accepted. Otherwise, we risk offending the new god: DEI.
Jesus makes it clear that we must take a stand for who and what we believe in. There is no compromise: either we choose God or Satan. He said, “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?” When we adopt values contrary to God’s, we promote disunity, not unity. There are certain truths about the importance of diversity, equality and inclusivity, but these are not absolute principles to be applied in every situation. The DEI principles must be in accordance with the truth of what is being advocated. Applied without qualification, they risk undermining the moral, spiritual, and cultural foundations of society.
When we destroy unity, a unity that is built on strong moral, religious and cultural values, we will face destruction – as was the case of Israel when the Prophet Joel warned his people of the Day of the Lord. There will be judgment and destruction: “Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, yes, it is near. Day of darkness and gloom, day of cloud and blackness. Like the dawn there spreads across the mountains a vast and mighty host, such as has never been before, such as will never be again to the remotest ages.” The psalmist echoes God’s justice: “You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked; you have wiped out their name forever. The nations have fallen into the pit which they made, their feet caught in the snare they laid. But the Lord sits enthroned forever. He has set up His throne for judgment; He will judge the world with justice; He will judge the peoples with His truth.”
When we do nothing to overcome the moral laxity of the world–especially when we Christians fail to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord–we will inherit a world without morals and right values. Society will degenerate, and the full impact of evil will be unleashed. Indeed, climate change, the breakdown of family life and faithful marriages, and obsessions with material progress and scientific or technological advancement without ethical guidelines–such as the use of artificial intelligence–will bring about the destruction of humanity. When the prophet Joel spoke of the Day of the Lord, it is not about God destroying the world; rather, it is we, human beings, who will allow the evil within us to destroy our planet and our humanity.
Hence, the call to conversion and repentance is urgent and real. This call is not directed merely to the world but also to us who are supposed to be good Catholics, priests, and religious. We need to ask for the grace of God to strike our conscience and bring us to a full realization of how desensitized we have become, for we have allowed the world to numb us to what is right and wrong. The Prophet cried out, “Priests, put on sackcloth and lament. Ministers of the altar, wail. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God. For the house of our God has been deprived of oblation and libation. Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; elders, call together all the inhabitants of the country to the house of the Lord your God. Cry out to the Lord, ‘Oh, what a day! For the day of the Lord is near; it comes as a devastation from Shaddai.'”
Indeed, Jesus is adamant that we must take an absolute stand–either for Him or for the Evil One. There is no room for neutrality. He made it clear: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Illustrating this with the example of a man who was exorcised of an unclean spirit but did nothing to live a life of grace and relationship with God, Jesus said that the man fell into a worse situation because the unclean spirit, “finding it swept and tidied, then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up worse than he was before.” Therefore, today we must invite the Lord–the strong man–to guard our house and our hearts. Only Christ can truly help us overcome evil and preserve our values and our life.
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.
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