First Reading

A reading from the First Book of Sirach (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 speech discloses the bent of a person's heart. Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8)

(R) 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)

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)

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)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (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.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (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."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

A Jewish emigrant sent his son to Israel to learn more about his religious roots and customs. When the son returned home after a year of stay, the father asked how it was. "It's great Dad", the son said. "I learned so much. I saw many historical sites and even learned a few words in Aramaic." The father was quite pleased. "Oh! by the way, Dad, I became a Christian." The father became quite distraught and later told his friend about his son's conversion. His friend said, "That's interesting. You know, I had also sent my son to Israel, and he came back a Christian as well. The two men were blown away at this coincidence. Together they went and told their Rabbi about what had happened to their sons. After hearing their stories, the Rabbi said, "It's so funny that you came to me. I too had sent my son to Israel many years ago and he also returned a Christian." After a few moments, they brought their concerns to God. While they were in prayer, they heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Over two thousand years ago, I had sent my Son Jesus and He became Christ."

Today we too call ourselves Christians. But the question is who or what a Christian is. The word "Christian" comes from the Greek word "Christianos", which literally means "a follower of Christ" and it was the title given to the believers in Jesus Christ by the people of Antioch, Acts (11:26), about 43 AD, some ten years or so after His death and resurrection. Until then, they were called "disciples" of Jesus of Nazareth. The very definition implies that "Christian" is more than the name, or the title given to a person after conversion. Being a Christian is more than saying prayers, attending church services and reading the scriptures. A Christian is a person who confesses with his mouth: "Jesus is Lord", and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead, and that he will be saved through Him, Romans (10:9-12) and John (1:12, 3:16). A Christian is a person who follows Jesus, Matthew (16:24) and Luke (9:23-24), learns from Him, Matthew (11:29), and strives to become like Him in every way possible, John (15:10). In short, a Christian must be a firm believer, a faithful follower and an obedient disciple of Christ. At the very start of His earthly ministry, Jesus began to teach and instil these qualities in all His followers, especially those seeking to lead others. Over the last two weeks, we read and reflected upon these qualities such as humility, love, mercy, forgiveness, generosity and so on from the gospel of Luke 6, known as the Sermon on the Plain.

In today's gospel, Luke (6:39-45), Jesus uses a series of imageries that Luke calls a parable to illustrate further the importance of adhering to His teachings as His followers.

First, Jesus poses a rhetorical question: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?", (v.39). Here, blindness doesn't refer to physical but rather a far more dangerous condition: spiritual blindness, that is, lack of spiritual insight or the inability to perceive and understand spiritual truths and God's ways. Jesus used this imagery to warn His followers of the disastrous consequences of following the religious leaders like the Scribes and the Pharisees who were highly regarded for their knowledge of the scriptures but lacked true wisdom and understanding to lead others to God.

This imagery is a warning to two groups of Christians today:

Those of us who seek others for spiritual discernment and guidance must beware of those who lack understanding and divine wisdom, leading us astray into idolatry and away from God's Word.
Those of us who are entrusted with the task of teaching, training and leading others, particularly our own children, friends and families to God, must, in the first place, be firm and be convinced of what we believe in Christ so that we can effectively lead them to Him. Otherwise, we all will end up in the pit of despair, disappointment, frustration, hopelessness, and darkness despite being in the faith for many years.

Secondly, Jesus said, "No disciple is superior to the teacher, but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.", (v.40). In Jesus' time, the relationship between the Rabbis and their students was very close and intimate. A student would learn by following, observing and imitating his teacher closely. While the student would not try to surpass his teacher's knowledge and authority during the learning process, he would aim toward becoming like his teacher. Using this imagery, Jesus pointed out that His followers must submit themselves to His authority and power so that they could be trained in every way: intellectually, morally and spiritually, eventually becoming more like Him, reflecting His character and living according to His teachings. Today, we too are reminded when we humbly accept Jesus as our only qualified Teacher and Guide and submit ourselves to Him, we all will be taught by Him through His Word and Spirit and made imitators of Him, Isaiah (54:13), John (6:45) and Hebrews (8:10-11). However, we can never become exactly like Jesus, for He is God, but we can, however, surely reflect His goodness, compassion, obedience, holiness and love in our lives, John (14:15).

While in the process of transforming oneself to become more like Christ, the person may fall into the trap of judgemental attitude. So, Jesus preached another imagery to warn His followers against spiritual pride, hypocrisy and self-righteous judgement. He said: "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? Remove the wooden beam in your own eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.", (vv.41-42). Here, the "splinter" symbolizes a small, perhaps minor fault or sin in others, while the "beam" symbolizes a big, significant fault or sin, in oneself. So, highlighting the hypocrisy of judging others while being blind to one's own failings, Jesus urged His followers to deal with their own sin before helping others deal with their sin. This is a gentle reminder once again that we should take an honest look at ourselves before we point out flaws in others. We should regularly examine our intentions, attitudes, and actions. As we strive for self-improvement and transformation, we can also extend understanding and kindness to others in their efforts to deal with their sins.

Lastly, Jesus said, "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.", (vv43-45). The nature of the tree determines the kind of fruit it produces. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces either bad fruit or no fruit. A fig tree produces figs, and a thornbush produces thorns. A thornbush or bramble cannot produce figs or grapes. The same is true for people. In the Bible, trees symbolize people or nations, Psalm (1:3). A "good tree" refers to a righteous person and a "bad tree" refers to an unrighteous and corrupt person. The fruits symbolize actions or results of ones' life. Using this imagery, Jesus told His followers that if they, as good trees, follow His teachings and truly align themselves with God's will, they would go on to produce good fruits, like love, kindness, and self-control, Galatians (5:19-23). Moreover, the goodness in their hearts would bring forth, not harsh or hasty judgment, but gentleness, compassion and forgiveness. Conversely, if they, follow the bad religious leaders of the time they would go on to produce bad fruits, like anger, division, immorality and so on. Besides, the evil in their hearts would bring forth bitterness, harsh and uncharitable condemnation.

This imagery is a gentle reminder that:

We all of us have been created to be good and generously fruitful people, Genesis (1:28).
When our lives produce abundant good fruit, God is glorified, John (15:8).
If we want to produce good fruit in life, we must pay attention to what's on the inside, we must pay attention to our hearts, to our inner lives. Because everything we do flows from our hearts. That is to say that the condition of our hearts shapes our behaviour, relationships, and ultimately, our lives. Goodness in living comes forth from the goodness of our hearts. So, we need changed hearts to avoid evil actions, and we need God to change them. We need God to give us a "new heart" with a "new spirit", just as He promised in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (36:26). Therefore, today let us pray like the Psalmist, "Create in me, O God, a pure heart and give me a new and steadfast spirit.", Psalm (51:12)

We shall pray that the Lord may cleanse our hearts and renew our spirits, making them more like Christ. When God changes our hearts, our words and actions will change as well. Yes, as believers, when we strive to align our hearts, thoughts, and actions with God's Word and Will, we embody the essence of true Christianity, and we are known as Christ-people or Christians.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

Content Options

share this homily via:

Top of Page