Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection March 12, 2026
Thursday – Third Week of Lent
12th March 2026 (Thursday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Jeremiah 7:23-28
Thus says the Lord: “This command I gave my people: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backwards and not forwards. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7abc, 7d-9 (R. 7d-8a)
R/. O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
V/. Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, for I am gracious and merciful.
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
Gospel: Luke 11:14-23
At that time: Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marvelled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Thursday – Third Week of Lent
Main Point: Stop fighting God’s grace and allow His mercy to gather up your broken pieces.
1. The first reading shows us that God sounds like a broken-hearted parent. He has to say that his people turned their backs and walked away. We can be honest and say that we all have days when we run away from God. We fear what we have to leave behind.
2. The people from the Gospel reading are the same. Jesus does a beautiful miracle and the people are afraid of his power and draw away. They build a wall, rejecting the grace of God, and throw accusations that He is just a magician.
3. It sounds crazy, but my own pride makes me do this too. When God’s light shows me the bad habits and grudges I have been holding on to, my first instinct is to get defensive.
4. Hanging on to stubbornness is described as an internal comfort. But the truth is, fighting God is exhausting, and it is actually suffocating my soul and stopping my own redemption.
5. But the reason we can be grateful about our salvation is that Jesus does not just walk away when we get defensive. He is there to say, “I Want to gather you.”
6. He’s inviting us to remove out heavy armor. You don’t need to battle to control every single part of your life.
7. The real and true relaxation and rest is to fall into the embrace of a God that is strong enough to bear all of your failures and sins. All we have to do is stop wandering and be still.
My Practice: Build a life long custom of being open handed. Resist the urge to be contradictive. When you feel the temptation to justify your errors and attempt to control a situation that is out of your power, train yourself to stop, remove your own justifications, and give that moment to the mercy of God.
