Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 84

Reading I

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 II

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,

 

We have all heard of the expression, “Think before you speak.” All too often we tend to react instead of act. When we are confronted with a situation that threatens our perception of things or something that invades the reality that we have created for ourselves, we are prompted to jump to the defense of our preconceived understanding of things that have been molded by our own thoughts and behaviors over time. These types of actions are detrimental to our well-being and relationship with God. We do not have to be so defensive. We do not always have to have things our way. We are not in control. God is in control. This is the key understanding that will bring about a more joyous life: God is our guide and keeper. As The Book of Proverbs says, “With God comes wisdom.” The more that we act with God in mind then the more we will find ourselves not reacting in a defensive position. We will not have to self-justify our actions because what we will be doing will be based on the will of God instead of our own will, which by its very nature is corrupted.

 

I feel that it can be said that all of us have encountered times in our lives where our mind has been racing. Scattered thoughts enter our brain. We face fears, anxieties, and resentments which drive us to make choices without thinking about the consequences. More frustrations result as we then feel that we are not in control of a situation or that things are not going our way. Unfortunately, there will be many times that we are not in control and events will not unfold according to our timetable. This is where trust in God needs to be relied upon to relieve ourselves from the burdens that we have piled upon ourselves. God is ready and willing to take the load off our backs and do the heavy lifting necessary to relief ourselves from our suffering. This suffering is truly self-inflicted and not necessary. There is a pattern of behavior here where we can easily find ourselves in: once a situation is rectified, another problem quickly takes its place. Is that really a way to live? God does not want us to feel that way or act that way. He wants us to be joyous and to be vehicles of His love.

 

Once the clutter of our own iniquities is removed, we can then be true witnesses to God’s creation and will be ready and able to live our lives the way that God wanted us to live it. We need to ask ourselves: “Do we know better or does God know better?” The answer is obvious. Even though this is the case, why do we continuously ignore that answer to our own detriment? Know this, God will always provide the answer if we only surrender to Him and ask Him for it. There are two ways to live: God’s way and our way. Our way, even though we may think we know better, is far less superior to God’s. He has laid out a path of conduct and understanding which will bear an abundance of good fruit. We are all good for we were created by the Ultimate Good. To realize that goodness within us, we must understand where that good came from. We can easily be swept up in the bad and label ourselves by past indiscretions which leads into a cycle of judgement and condemnation, rooted in our defensive posture which naturally leads us to accuse others to deflect blame from ourselves. We need to avoid this by focusing on our own healing.

 

The Apostle Paul reminds us today that we all are corrupted. There is an equal playing field here. It is when we cloth ourselves with Christ that we become new creations. The truth then can be revealed to us with the veil that has so long prevented us from witnessing the full wisdom of God being torn away. Even death becomes an afterthought with the understanding that Christ has already conquered death and we are destined for something greater than the grave. Through this understanding, we are constantly reminded that most of our inclinations, rooted in the physical, are meaningless in comparison to the greater revelations that await us when we strive to walk with God. There is a better way, and we are urged to take it.

 

There is no time for judging. There is no time for pointing fingers. Self-doubt is a tool of Satan. If we be still and listen to what God has to say, then things will naturally progress towards the good. We do not have to have the last word or have everything the way we want it. There is no positive that comes out of this. Instead, when we suffer, God promises us that the result will be us becoming stronger. The conclusion of any situation will leave us in a better place than we were before. There is a certain trust that needs to be exercised if we are to achieve that, but that comes from focus and hard work. Is it better to work hard on material things or things that come from God? The answer is plainly visible if we want to see it. We do not have to be the director of all events and we do not have to win over others to our side. As Jesus said, “Those who are not against us are with us.” With that, we are encouraged to focus on the bigger picture, which includes eternity, instead on focusing on individual events which will happen then become a part of the past. God is not in the past. We will never be in the past because we are with God.

 

Accepting and loving Jesus plants our tree on fertile ground where we will bear good fruit. We do not have to be on the defensive. We do not have to win all the time. Victory is already ours if we stay with Jesus; listening to what He has to say. Wisdom can be our foundation and our strength. From there, we can enter a life of contemplation and acceptance. It is there where we can experience a fruitful and abundant life forever.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 81

Reading 1 1 Sm 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23

In those days, Saul went down to the desert of Ziph
with three thousand picked men of Israel,
to search for David in the desert of Ziph.
So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night
and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade,
with his spear thrust into the ground at his head
and Abner and his men sleeping around him.

Abishai whispered to David:
“God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day.
Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear;
I will not need a second thrust!”
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him,
for who can lay hands on the LORD’s anointed and remain unpunished?”
So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head,
and they got away without anyone’s seeing or knowing or awakening.
All remained asleep,
because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.

Going across to an opposite slope,
David stood on a remote hilltop
at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops.
He said: “Here is the king’s spear.
Let an attendant come over to get it.
The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness.
Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp,
I would not harm the LORD’s anointed.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Reading 2 1 Cor 15:45-49

Brothers and sisters:
It is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being,
the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
But the spiritual was not first;
rather the natural and then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth, earthly;
the second man, from heaven.
As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,
and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

Alleluia Jn 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say,
love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give, and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

 We are revolutionaries in that we are not expected to adhere to the teachings of this world and the expectations of society. We are called to something higher that, at many times, goes against all that we have learned and all that we have been encouraged to do since we were able to make independent decisions. From early on, we were taught that there was an expected reaction to our relationships with other people be they enemies or friends. When we were threatened, we were expected to react to that threat by defending ourselves to the best of our abilities, oftentimes eliminating that threat through acts of violence out of self-preservation. When we were asked to give something to someone else, a cost could be demanded in return so as to make the exchange profitable to us. Giving our money or something that had value for us to someone else would only be done when receiving something of equal or more value. Being of good character enabled us to correct the actions of others using ourselves as the standard of conduct to be looked up to. The more we rose in stature enabled us to be viewed by more people in a positive light and thus could allow us to be the standard which others needed to conduct themselves by. Through the teachings of Jesus Christ and the message of the Sacred Scriptures it can be now understood that what has been offered through these messages and code of conduct is completely wrong.

 

Those who find themselves acting in the aforementioned way are in no way bad people but ones who have been misguided in their concepts of living. No one person is beyond making this mistake when so many others have told him or her that it is the proper way to act. It can be argued that everyone is in danger of doing these things daily if we do not keep our relationship with Jesus Christ central in our lives.  It is through Jesus Christ and a spiritual relationship with Him that a better way is revealed.

 

A relationship with Jesus Christ starts with love. It is through His love for us that we have been given the gift of salvation. It is here, with this concept of eternal love that our relationship begins. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, this love flows through us and outward throughout God’s creation. We first receive it then we exude it naturally when we recognize its presence. It is spread through us by us reacting to its presence. We are first loved then we love in return. The only thing that can prevent ourselves from spreading that love is our own unwillingness to let it work through us and our actions. Our greatest asset, our free will, can be our greatest impediment if our will does not coincide with the Will of the Father. When this happens, we tend to revert back to complying with the lower standards of society which include acting with an acceptable level of selfishness instead of selflessness.

 

David serves as an example to all of us to follow. King Saul had made it his mission to pursue and kill David out of jealousy and hatred. When David has an opportunity to end the threat on his own life by killing Saul, he chose not to but exercised mercy instead. He did not know what the future would bring with this act of love but it bore no consequence to what he did in the moment. In that moment he displayed love and mercy in the same way the Father shows us love and mercy through His gift of salvation. David was not concerned with the preservation of his own life but more he was concerned with the value of the life of another. As Christians, our lives are not our own which means that there is no need for self-preservation. All life comes from God and has been created by God. Created out of love means that all life serves as a vessel of that love which means in turn that all of it is precious and none more important than the other.

 

Jesus wants us to concentrate on the preservation of all life through acts of love and mercy. All of our actions should reflect the presence of Jesus Christ and our relationship with him. This is indeed difficult, especially with all of the other outside influences that constantly bombard us on a daily basis. A good exercise would be for us to rate these influences by level of importance then compare them to how important God should be in our lives. If we do in fact believe that God is the creator of all things and it is through His Son that we achieve redemption and eternal life, then how important should we rate what God says in comparison to the opinions and thoughts of other people? This is where we can be challenged. How important is our relationship to God in relation to the daily opinions and thoughts of other people? Do these other people actually have our best interests at heart in comparison to the one who created us?

 

Two parts of us are struggling against each other: The flesh and the spirit. When we encounter something that is physical or mental in nature the flesh reacts and wants to immediately take charge. What comes from the flesh is always finite and is based in Natural Law, its action dictated by the limitations of this world. The spirit cries out to the Father, embraces the Son, and is moved by the presence of the Holy Spirit. The spirit is eternal and reacts to all that is eternal. Here we are in the middle struggling to see if we want to dwell in the material or rise to the eternal. Decisions made with the flesh in mind, dictated by the flesh, and guided by those who dwell in the flesh will lead to a definite end which is always rooted in this world: a world that will with all that it holds end. Decisions made with the counsel and desire of the spirit have no limits and no boundaries. Nothing can limit them or hold them back.

 

It is exciting to be different. It is fascinating not to conform to something just to conform. Jesus wants us to act and be different; that is the key to a fruitful and joyous life. For every wicked act we should react with a joyous act. With every act of hatred kindness should be returned. Acts of charity should come with no expectation of repayment. Lend without interest, give selflessly, and love with abandon. There are no limits when these things are practiced with God in mind and the Holy Spirit in our hearts. That is why we are told to love our God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and body. From that love will come more love and everything else will be forced out.

 

We don’t need anything else anyway.

 

Deacon Tom