First Reading: Jeremiah 7:23-28
This is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord God.
Thus says the Lord:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
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.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
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.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the Lord, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R./ If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing PSALM s to him.
R./ If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R./ If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R./ If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Gospel Reading: Luke 11:14-23
Whoever is not with me is against me.
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 Godhas 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.”
What Needs to Be Heard
In recent years, there has been talk of the “deaf community” as another group of victimized people… but by whom? Certainly, no one would dispute the fact that people without hearing need special support to navigate society. But from there to proclaiming “deaf pride,” there seems to be a big leap. In today’s readings, however, it appears there are those who are deaf by their own choice. And that is a matter of the heart. “Do not harden your hearts,” it says. It doesn’t tell them to open their ears, because they hear just fine. What they don’t do is listen. And that’s because their hearts are hardened. And with hardened hearts, they are stubborn in their wickedness. Closed off to anything God might say.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus drives out a mute demon… But those who have made themselves voluntarily deaf criticize Him. Would they prefer that the man remain deaf and mute so he couldn’t hear what Jesus has to say or proclaim His message? Possibly so, since they themselves have no interest in hearing the message. They are deliberately deaf and closed off.
Could the same happen to us? What would become of us, wrapped up in our own convictions and imaginations, if we refused to listen to a message that might challenge us to a life of conversion, to a heart open to the Word of God? The message could come through the advice of someone who cares for us, a good book, a well-delivered homily, or a moment of intense pain, difficulty, or even great joy. We want to sow and we want to bear fruit. We want our lives to have meaning. But we already have Christ’s warning. Those who are with Christ listen, no matter how difficult what they hear may be or how demanding life becomes. But the one who is deaf is against Him. And the one who is against Him scatters. What a pity, a life wasted on uselessness! Do not harden your hearts. Remove the wax from your ears. Let God’s call to live differently penetrate you. Let God open your lips to proclaim His message without fear.
Carmen AguinacoIntroduction
“Listen to my voice,” says God through his prophet Jeremiah, and then, he complains that God’s people fails to listen, that they listen to themselves and follow their own ways. Their deeds do not speak the language of God. They do not follow God.
In the Gospel, Jesus cures the man who was mute. Worse than anyone who is deaf and mute and blind, are those who do not want to hear and see, or to speak with sincerity. They do not follow Jesus. Their hearts are divided.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
you ask of us not so much
that we observe certain practices,
but that our hearts are turned to you.
God, may we do your will in everything,
loyally and generously,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who did your will because he loved you
and who lives therefore with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
General Intercessions
– That we may listen to the voice of our conscience, not only when it warns us against evil, but also when it prompts us to do good, we pray:
– That when temptation comes, we follow Jesus our Lord, who overcame temptations for us, we pray:
– That those who are preparing for baptism may learn how the Gospel will bring them joy and freedom, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
you send your Son among us
to be our living Word.
May we learn from him,
that he did your will in everything
because he knew that this was your way
to reveal your saving love to all.
May we be on his side
and do your will in all things
as a living offering to you,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
we are perhaps so busy
with our own plans for the future
and for a world we want to build up,
that we forget your plans for a new world.
God, may we carry out your plans
by your own rules;
may we listen to your Word, Jesus Christ,
and forget our own little plans,
that we may build up a kingdom
that stands, for ever and ever.
Blessing
“Obey my voice and I will be your God, and you shall be my people,” said the prophet. We thank God that God has made us his people. We do our best to live as the people God loves, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
