Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 84
Reading I
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
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
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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
No comments:
Post a Comment