“The kingdom of God has come to you.” (Lk. 11:20)

What happened in Israel in Jeremiah’s day, that Jeremiah would say to him, “They did not listen or pay attention? On the contrary, they walked according to their ideas, according to the wickedness of their stubborn hearts. They turned their backs on me and not their faces. From the time your fathers left Egypt until this day, I have sent my servants, the prophets, day after day; but they did not listen to me or pay attention to me.” (Jer. 7:24) And what is it in Jesus’ listeners that He so harshly discusses the presence of the kingdom of God, opposing it to the works of Beelzebub?  We are just like the people of the desert and, as we ourselves hear what Jesus says, it is difficult for us to overcome the hardness of our hearts to recognize the work of God in us; his Kingdom of peace, of justice, of love, of truth… Why is it so difficult for us to follow Jesus? Can we name the desires that reside in our heart right now?