8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday Reflections

The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Sirach 27:4-7 “In tribulation is the test of the just…praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.”

Psalm: 92  “Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58  “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?”

Gospel: Luke 6:39-45  “Every tree is known by its own fruit. 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.”

Today the sage Sirach advises us to judge the righteousness of a person when they are tested, and that testing often comes when one must speak. This theme is echoed in the Gospel “for from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” If you’ve ever wondered how “good” you are, consider how you hold up during times of tribulation: can you patiently endure the trial; can you be gentle and generous, kind and just during struggles? If so, then you are pursuing virtue and are on the path to holiness. If not, well, perhaps you have work to do. Join the club! We are sinners hopefully on the Way to sainthood, which is a narrow and winding path. We must strain sometimes to make out the track in the darkness of our sins, but once we have found the route, we must not stray from it. The road to destruction is broad and smooth, and many find it (Matthew 7:13). Let us not be in their company!

Today’s Psalm rejoices in giving thanks to God. An attitude of gratitude is a blessing indeed! When we are grateful to God, we humbly recognize that everything that we have has been given to us. God freely granted us life and sustains our every breath. He has shown us His “kindness at dawn and (His) faithfulness throughout the night.” Drenched in His graces, we “shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall (we) grow.” We shall “flourish in the courts of our God.” The thankful heart declares “how just is the Lord, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong.” The more time we spend with God, in His courts, so to speak, the more vociferously will we burst out into songs of thanksgiving and praise, for our God is an awesome God!

The Second Reading comes from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. St. Paul asks, “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” He declares that “the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” The Law dictated what was licit and what was illicit, but gave no power to obey the Law. It is only with the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, with His powerful Paschal Mystery, that sin and death have been defeated and we now have the power, through His grace, to obey the Law. Paul urges the Corinthians to “be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord.” Those who are fully devoted to the Lord with undivided loyalty are the “pure in heart” spoken of in the Beatitudes (Matthew, chapter 5). Keeping your heart within His Sacred Heart and your eyes on Him, you will forsake all other claims on your attention, including your own will, your own desires, and your own sins. Then indeed you will know that “in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.” Notice that Paul regards living the Faith to be “labor” – it is not easy, but it is so worth it!

St. Luke shares Jesus’ parables given to His disciples, one involving the blind leading the blind and the other about fruit. He asks His disciples if one blind person can guide another; in other words, can one person in the throes of sin be a moral guide for another person in the throes of sin. Jesus recommends that we “remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” Take stock of your own sin, go to Confession with a firm purpose of amendment, receive absolution, and perform your penance before you point out another’s sin to them.

Jesus then explicates the fruit parable: “a good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.” His explanation is straightforward: “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.” Look around in your life for the fruit you have borne; is it good fruit or is it rotten? This examination of your conscience may be painful as you become aware of the quality of the fruit you have borne for the Lord, but you cannot remedy the situation until you’ve made this examination. Jesus goes on: “from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,” echoing Sirach from our First Reading. Do you find yourself swearing or taking the Name of the Lord in vain? This is against the Second Commandment. Do you participate in gossip, running people down? This is the sin of calumny. Do you tell the sins of other people? This is the sin of detraction. Do you wish evil upon another? This is against Jesus’ Law of Love. Are you envious or jealous of someone? These are vices opposed to the virtues of charity and humility. Know yourself, making use of the Gift of Understanding from the Holy Spirit. Cooperate with His graces to become the best person you can be from a spiritual point of view. Fill your heart with love for God and love of neighbor and you will bear good fruit, for your heart will be full of goodness.