THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Luke 11:14-23) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11:23)

FIRST READING - Jer 7:23-28

A reading from the Book of Jeremiah

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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 11:14-23

From the Gospel according to Luke

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."

THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Luke 11:14-23)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God for today talks about Jesus casting out a mute demon. When the demon was gone, the mute man could speak.

However, only some people believed in Jesus casting out demons, while others did not. Those who did not believe thought that Jesus belonged to Satan, was in league with Satan, and used the power of the demon king Beelzebul to cast out demons. They continued to demand a sign from heaven to test Jesus, to see if He could still perform miracles. Jesus knew their thoughts and the hardness of their hearts, so He explained 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?" Jesus told them that He did not use the demon king Beelzebul. He was not on the same side as Satan, but He used the finger of God to cast out demons. This shows that when God uses His finger to cast out demons, the Kingdom of God is present among them to save people from the hands of Satan.

The purpose of Jesus coming to earth to become a human is to sacrifice and die, to fight Satan, and to save souls. Jesus has defeated the power of Satan. He has all the power and authority in this world. Satan also has power, but Satan is always under the power of God. When God comes and touches to cast out Satan, Satan will be destroyed by God. Jesus said that those who do not unite with God to fight Satan will not be able to enter His Kingdom, because the purpose of God coming to earth is to battle Satan and save souls from their captivity. After three days, Jesus rose from the dead, which was when Satan was lost to Him. However, Satan still continues to tempt, bind souls, and drag people away from the hands of God.

In this era, Satan is always rampant, tempting people everywhere and at all times. They could not tempt Jesus, so they lured His children into their trap. Satan binds people, not allowing them to approach God or to open their mouths to praise God. They are mute demons.

God also revealed that in this era, people have been made both mute and deaf by mute demons, unable to hear the teachings of God, unable to open their mouths to praise God. God always loves people, so He used simple and humble people in His plan of sanctification at the House of the Father to do the work of exorcising demons. With the power of the Holy Trinity and the influence of the Holy Spirit, God used the angel Thien Thuong to write the Word of God to guide and teach people how to exorcise demons and live to overcome them. He chose to call more people whom He wanted to collaborate with the angel Thien Thuong to exorcise the demons of Satan from people in this era.

There are many types of demons, but today God especially revealed that the mute demon is the type of demon that does not know how to open its mouth to praise God, does not know how to open its mouth to speak words of love, charity, and unity, but only uses words to cause division, hatred, death, and opposition to God. In fact, at the House of God, God's power was clearly demonstrated, visible to human eyes and audible to human ears. Many sick people and sinners came to the Father's House and received the grace to recognize their sins, repent, and return to God. When they were thirsty and truly repentant, God drove the mute demons out of them. Therefore, they were able to open their mouths to praise God, which was a miracle!

But besides that, there are many people who do not believe and oppose the work of the new era. They think that Chu Thien Thuong is a demon, using the demon king Beelzebul to exorcise demons. This is a serious insult to God Himself and His plan of salvation. God kindly reminds people that God's work of salvation always continues from generation to generation. People should remember that Jesus Himself was also considered by the people of His era to be the demon king Beelzebul, 'relying on' Beelzebul to exorcise demons. Today, people continue those same sins when they think that those chosen by God in this work of the new era rely on the power of the devil to exorcise demons. God warns that those who do not believe in what He is doing through the people He has placed and chosen, that they are opposing God Himself and His work. These people, after God calls them out of the world, will be separated by Him into sheep and goats. Whoever does not oppose God and actively cooperates with Him, determined to live according to His instructions, will be rewarded by Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who cause division, deliberately oppose the work of God, even though He has given them understanding and shown them His work, will be separated from His Kingdom and sent to eternal hell with Satan, imprisoned in the unquenchable fire.

God always loves His children and does not want to lose any soul. Today, through this Gospel, God invites people: Look at the good fruits, the new lives, the souls who have been converted, abandoned the path of sin, and returned to God. These are the people who have truly been healed by God in both body and soul, escaped the control of Satan, and opened their mouths to praise God. They are the witnesses in the program "Voice of Truth." They are real people with real experiences. Let us 'look at the fruit to know the tree', to be awake, do not continue to oppose God's work, lest you regret it forever!

Thanks be to God. Amen.