Luke 11:14-23

Jeremiah 7:23-28

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,

and when the demon had gone out,

the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.

Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,

he drives out demons.”

Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them,

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself,

how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armor on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you created all things as good and yet, according to your divine plan, permit the angels and human beings to abuse their freedom and choose to do what is evil. May I be humble before this awesome mystery and, with your grace, seek always to do what is good and right and truly enjoy the freedom of the children of God.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sinai Covenant and the Nation of Israel: In the First Reading, taken from the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord recalls the covenant he made with the descendants of Israel at Mt. Sinai: “I will be your God and you shall be my people.” In a covenant, two unrelated parties are established into one family. With this covenant relationship – this sacred kinship bond – come rights and responsibilities. God says to his children: “Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper” (Jeremiah 7:23). Fidelity in the covenant relationship will bring about blessing. Infidelity will trigger punishment and curses. The people of Israel often chose the latter path: “But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me” (Jeremiah 7:24). God sent the prophets and tried to get his son to listen to his voice and heed his call. Just as the people refused to listen to Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, they will also refuse to listen to Jeremiah: “When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you” (Jeremiah 7:27).

2. The Fall of the Kingdom of Satan: In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about two kingdoms: the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem and meets with resistance from some of the people in the crowd. They are attributing the mighty works of Jesus – driving out demons – to demonic powers. This was the explanation given by the Pharisees from Jerusalem. They couldn’t deny that Jesus was doing mighty deeds, so they attributed his divine power to demonic powers. Jesus responds to their accusation by saying that he casts out demons not by the power of the prince of demons, but by the finger of God. Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus has been bringing about the downfall of the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan can only offer lies about what happiness consists in, and about pleasure, power, possessions, and pride. By contrast, the Kingdom of God offers the path of poverty, suffering, gentleness, justice, mercy, peace, and purity that leads to true beatitude and eternal communion with the Triune God.

3. The Kingdom of God: The Kingdom of God that Jesus established has its roots in the Kingdom of David. The tribes of Israel were united as a nation under Moses but as a kingdom under David. God promised through a covenant oath that David’s kingdom would last forever. And Jesus makes good on that divine oath. Jesus is the royal son of David (Luke 132-33), who establishes the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43) and entrusts it to his disciples (Luke 22:29) until he returns in glory. The Church is only the beginning and seed of the Kingdom and not its definitive and full coming in glory: “The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is brought near in the Word Incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The Kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father” (CCC, 2816).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your food was to do the will of your Father. I want that to be my food and my sustenance too. You are my Lord and King and I am your loyal subject. Teach me how to bring about the establishment of your Kingdom in my life and the world around me.

Living the Word of God: How am I living in the Kingdom of God? Am I a loyal son or daughter of the King? Where am I called today to advance the Kingdom? What does that concretely look like? How can I turn my face to my Father rather than my back?