Gospel and readings 27.2.2022
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 labour 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.”
REFLECTION
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.” Luke 6:43
Conversely, it should be said that a good tree does bear good fruit. This must be our goal. By saying that “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,” Jesus is teaching us the supernatural effect of living a holy life. When we live a life grounded in Christ, the effect will be that good fruit is born from our lives. This is an important spiritual principle to understand.
Hopefully, we all want to live good lives. We all want to make a difference in our world and in the lives of others for the good. But the fundamental question to ask is how do we do this? The answer is that it’s not so much a matter of choosing the good actions we do; rather, on a more basic and fundamental level, we must choose to live a life grounded in Christ, thus becoming a “good tree.”
If you want to bear good fruit and make a holy and positive difference in the world, then you need to do one primary thing. Work at becoming holy. To use the image that Jesus gives, see yourself as a tree that is planted in the ground. See your roots stretching far and wide. See yourself being nourished and basked in the Sun. And see yourself growing and flourishing.
This is the life of grace and the effect is that good fruit automatically comes forth. The life of grace is accomplished by focusing upon your own health and spiritual well-being. You become this “good tree” by doing the basics well. First, pray, pray well and pray hard. Let your life be centered in prayer. Second, learn your faith. Listen to the Gospels, learn all that God has revealed through the Church, read the teachings of the saints, and learn from other holy people. Third, live a good sacramental life. Go to Mass, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, understand the grace of your Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, etc. Know that the Sacraments nourish you in powerful ways and embrace that nourishment with your whole heart.
Reflect, today, upon the important mission you have been given to go forth and to bear an abundance of good fruit in our world. This mission can be accomplished only as a result of a life of holiness. This holiness is only accomplished when your roots are firmly grounded in the life of grace. Embrace this life of grace through the many means that God has set before you, and know that the commitment you make to holiness will bring health not only to your own soul, but also to the souls of those whom God will touch through you.
Lord, I love You and I give my life to You. I pray that I may be planted in the fertile soil of Your abundant love and mercy. Help me to be nourished by the life of grace You have lavished upon me and, as I grow in holiness, bring forth an abundance of good fruit in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
William G. Henry & Co., Solicitors
Stewart Fuel Oils, Boyle
