Daily Readings - Thu Mar 27 2025
Jeremiah
23but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.24But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.25From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets.26But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.'27"When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer.28Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
Luke
14Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.15But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons."16Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.17Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub.19Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.20But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.21"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.23"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound reflections on the human condition and our relationship with God. The first reading from Jeremiah paints a picture of a people who have turned away from God’s commandments, choosing instead to follow their own desires. Despite God’s repeated calls to return, they stiffen their necks and refuse to listen. This passage serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of heeding God’s voice in our lives.
In the Gospel, Jesus confronts a different kind of resistance. After healing a mute man possessed by a demon, some onlookers accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus responds by pointing out the absurdity of this claim, noting that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He then challenges His listeners to recognize the true source of His power—the finger of God—and warns them that failure to align themselves with God’s will is to oppose it.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own willingness to listen to God and to discern the source of true power in our lives. Like the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time, we often find ourselves tempted to follow our own desires rather than God’s will. And like the crowd in Luke’s Gospel, we may doubt the authenticity of God’s work in our midst. Yet, Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of God is not about division or opposition but about unity and alignment with His will.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, let us ask ourselves: Am I truly listening to God’s voice, or am I allowing my own desires to lead me astray? Am I open to the ways in which God is working in my life and in the world around me? The moral lesson here is clear: To be with God is to be aligned with His will, and to reject His will is to scatter and divide. May we strive to be people who listen, who discern, and who actively seek to gather with Christ, rather than scatter.