Deacon Tom Anthony

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 84

Reading 1 Sir 27:4-7

When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do one's faults when one speaks.
As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
so in tribulation is the test of the just.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one's speech disclose the bent of one's mind.
Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Reading 2 1 Cor 15:54-58

Brothers and sisters:
When this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:
 Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,
be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Alleluia Phil 2:15d, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 6:39-45

Jesus told his disciples a parable,
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.

"A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 With Jesus Christ we are constantly in training and have the capability to learn something new every day through our experiences and the wisdom we are able to gain from them. Nothing seen, encountered, or absorbed through our senses, including those which are spiritual in nature, is inconsequential. Everything and everyone that we come in contact with can have an impact on us if we are open to it doing so. This is what a transformative experience is all about. Things can be ignored or can be embraced with a contemplative mind influenced by the presence of Jesus, guiding us through the wondrous creation of God. The more we explore and let ourselves be open to what is around us the closer we will become to God.

When we dictate how we are going to approach this life of ours we limit ourselves in the scope of how we feel and react to different things. Our thoughts are heavily influenced by us trying to manage ourselves and what we want to achieve in a given day in pursuit of short and long-term goals. Because of this, the reality that we live in is one that is created by our perception of things based on a particular outcome that we want. We become the writer and director of our life, constantly editing the storyline to fit into where we want to be and what we want to do. All the while, what is really true and what is directly in front of us passes by without notice.

Jesus explains that this is the wrong way to live. We are God’s children and need to start acting like His children. This includes being open to instruction, discipline, and an experience in the form of what He wants for us instead of what we want for ourselves. If we truly believe that He is our God then it just might be worthwhile to listen to what He says. This is the point that Jesus was making in the Gospel Reading today. We cannot act like we know better than Him and that our life is our own. We belong to Him and with that needs to come an acknowledgement that He has something to say and it’s pretty important. God’s creation is ours to experience and to live in but it does come with instructions. We also come with instructions and they are being dictated to us  if only we are willing to listen. We do not know better than Jesus. When we start acting like we are in charge and readily dismiss what He has to say is when we usually get into the most trouble.

When we are open to what Jesus has to say and what He wants us to do the experiences that we will have in this life will have no limits because He has no limits. When our thoughts become His thoughts is when all barriers and boundaries are eliminated. We are naturally lifted up and become more like Him. Jesus is inviting us up to the mountaintop to witness a view that is unmatched.

Jesus Christ is perfect. The closer we get to Him the more our imperfections will be eliminating just by being close to Him. As it is written in the Book of Proverbs:

“Hatred stirs up disputes but love covers all offenses.”

Being in a relationship with the Perfect Love which is Jesus Christ enables our brokenness to be healed and all that clutter in our lives to be washed away. We naturally become clean and new. Whatever was rotting or was defective is removed and only goodness remains. We are the tree and Jesus is the rich soil which provides nourishment for us to bear wonderful fruit. Nothing has to be added to this soil but we do have to take the effort to plant ourselves in it. Just as a farmer chooses where to spread his seed and plant his plants, so do we have the choice where we want to be planted. Jesus will indeed provide for everything if we allow Him to do so.

When our focus becomes God’s focus then everything thing witnessed takes on a deeper meaning. We are exposed to God’s vision instead of our own. What God wants for us takes on a new urgency. Good feelings will always triumph over bad ones. Suffering becomes temporary while His love remains. Nothing can conquer God and nothing can conquer us because we are with Him. That is the point of a relationship with God. He created us. He loves us. Because of these simple facts it also means that whatever we face will be overcome and we will be better for it because as His children He wouldn’t have it any other way.

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways but we can be a part of His thought and ways if only we invite Him in instead of doing what we want instead. It is from there that a true God experience can be encountered. An experience that can last for eternity.

Deacon Tom