Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
YEAR C
First Reading Sirach 27:4–7
Psalm Psalm 92:2–3, 13–16
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:54–58
Gospel Luke 6:39–45
PRAYER
Psalm 92:2–3, 13–16
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
READING THE WORD
FIRST READING
Sirach 27:4–7
When a sieve is shaken, the refuse appears;
so do a person’s faults when he speaks.
The kiln tests the potter’s vessels;
so the test of a person is in his conversation.
Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree;
so a person’s speech discloses the cultivation of his mind.
Do not praise anyone before he speaks,
for this is the way people are tested.
SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 15:54–58
When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
“Death has been 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, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
GOSPEL
Luke 6:39–45
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
HEARING THE WORD
“Fruits of Integrity”
Using proverbs and ordinary images derived from daily life, this Sunday’s readings teach a message about inner integrity and its manifestations through the outwardly visible “good fruits”.
The Book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, belongs to Israel’s wisdom tradition. Biblical wisdom means living well through reverent obedience to God, his laws, and instructions. Israelite wisdom traces its origin to King Solomon, whose wisdom and judgment were legendary. Initially, wisdom was transmitted through proverbs – simple but deeply meaningful statements based on common sense and imagery drawn from daily life. Later, Israelite scholars began to use more systematic and complex forms of wisdom reflection, found in the book of Sirach alongside the proverbs. This book was written in Jerusalem around the year 200 BC by Yeshua Ben Eleazar Ben Sirach (Sir 50:27). This Jewish sage taught that wise living means strict adherence to God’s laws found in the first five books of the Bible, the Torah. Ben Sirach’s work was meant to explain these complex laws to the ordinary Israelites through systematic and philosophical explanations, as well as through traditional proverbs.
In today’s reading, Ben Sirach uses two proverbs to teach that a person’s true character, which remains hidden from the eyes, is revealed through the use of words. The first proverb speaks of a sieve which the farmer would shake to make the impurities hidden among the grain appear. The author explains that just as shaking a sieve makes the refuse appear on the surface of the grain, so words make known hidden faults and concealed intentions of the speaker. The second proverb uses the image of a kiln – a furnace used for firing pottery – which tests the quality of the potter’s vessel. Like this furnace, the inner quality of the mind and the levels of intelligence are tested in the course of a conversation. Ben Sirach’s third and final statement is not a proverb but an instruction. Here, based on the first proverb, Ben Sirach instructs that no person should be praised before his or her true self is revealed in the course of the conversation and by hearing their words.
These simple proverbs and an exhortation teach that a person’s integrity and true self cannot be known by looking simply at outward appearances. Words are the audible fruits and reflections of the person’s heart and mind, and a basis for distinguishing between wisdom and folly.
The second reading brings Paul’s teaching on the resurrection of the dead to its conclusion. Fittingly, this conclusion is a triumphant victory song composed by the apostle to celebrate Christ’s victory over death, and the gift of immortality for his faithful. He first describes the gift of eternal life as the transformation of the perishable and mortal human body into an imperishable and immortal risen body, fitting to inhabit the heavens. This transformation will take place in the future and will mean the final defeat of death by rendering it powerless. Paul adopts the words of the prophets Isaiah (25:8) and Amos (13:14) to compose a short victory hymn that celebrates this victory of life which Christ accomplished defeating the main tool of death – sin. Since the law makes sin known, Christ also “defeated” the law because the law becomes unnecessary where there is no sin. He concludes the hymn with a solemn thanksgiving to God who, acting through his son Jesus Christ, was the architect and power behind this victory.
In the final line of his presentation, Paul makes a short exhortation that outlines the implication of his teaching on the resurrection for the life of his believers awaiting that final victory while living in the world, and their still mortal bodies. He exhorts them to steadfastness in adhering to Jesus and to “excelling in the work of the Lord”. This commitment to Christ and his ways is grounded in the firm belief in the resurrection and the determination to reach eternal life. Paul implies that to reap the fruits of Christ’s victory over death in the future, believers must steadfastly adhere to Christ and practice their faith in the present. Such adherence requires personal integrity manifested through consistency between belief and behavior. Thus, an authentic belief in the resurrection bears fruits of the steadfast and enduring commitment to Christ amidst this life’s challenges.
The Gospel passage contains Jesus’ three instructions on integrity and bearing good fruit. He begins with a proverb in the form of a rhetorical question, which states an obvious truth that a blind person cannot be a guide. Jesus then uses this proverb to tell his disciples that they must learn from him before they can guide others. Moreover, their learning cannot be partial or superficial but must bring them to the level equal to their teacher – Jesus himself. He does not mean that they become equal with him in dignity, but that they must accept his entire teaching, not just selected fragments. This is the first and indispensable step before they can be called teachers and lead others.
The second part of Jesus’ teaching contains a stark warning against hypocrisy. Using the symbols of a speck and a log lodged in someone’s eye, Jesus warns his disciples against correcting others without first correcting themselves. Guides and teachers must examine themselves before attempting to correct others’ faults. Jesus warns his disciples against the danger of hypocrisy, and a lack of objectivity founded on a lack of honesty and self-critique. Such self-critique and examination were done in the light of Jesus’ teaching to assure integrity. It prevents one from being a guide blinded by his or her delusions.
The final instruction quotes yet another proverb which states that a tree’s worth is determined by the type of fruits it produces. Jesus implies that pretense and deception of any kind cannot be maintained for long. Eventually, a person’s deeds and words will reveal the true content of the person’s heart. Falsehood cannot be made to appear as truth for long. Here, Jesus agrees with Ben Sirach stating, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Thus, the real state of the heart will eventually be revealed through words.
These three simple but striking statements of Jesus show that integrity lies at the very heart of discipleship. The quality of discipleship and the level of goodness cannot be faked. A true disciple accepts the entirety of Jesus’ teaching while being honest and self-critical about his or her limits and faults, before attempting to guide and correct others.
This Sunday’s readings teach that integrity and quality of character are indispensable for the believer. Using simple proverbs, Ben Sirach and Jesus both stated the obvious – the truth about a person’s character and the quality of heart and mind will inevitably be exposed by words. In the same line, Paul taught that a genuine belief in the resurrection manifests itself in the steadfast profession of faith. To reach personal integrity, a believer must be rooted in Jesus’ teaching, and be honest and self-critical. Such integrity will bear the good fruit of blameless speech and sound judgment; it will make a believer, to use the words of the Psalmist, “flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD
Following our reflection on the readings, we must first turn to God in thanksgiving for his gift of wisdom. We live in an ever-changing and complicated world. Yet God’s guidance helps us to choose and follow the right paths. God’s wisdom guides us to an understanding of some grand, deep, and important truths about life and faith. However, God’s wisdom found in the teaching of Jesus and our faith tradition also guides us on how to go through our simple daily life and routines, and on how to deal with one another daily. God has instructed us how to live our simple daily life in a manner that will lead us to an extraordinary, heavenly life. For this, we must be always grateful.
Words are powerful, as was recognized and extensively discussed by the author of the letter of James, who extensively discussed the use of words by Christians, and made the famous statement, “the tongue is a small number, yet it boasts of great exploits” (Jas 3:5). For Christians, this means that we must pay great attention to how we make use of our God-given ability to communicate through words.
First, with the gift of speech comes great authority linked with great responsibility. For ordinary people, such as ourselves, words may be our most powerful tool for shaping the world around us. Unlike the few individuals who enjoy great political, military, or even moral authority, the vast majority of us have little formal authority and power over others and our environment. Instead, we use words to communicate but also to influence others and shape the world around us. Our choice of words and how we use them can bind or separate, bring harmony or conflict, inspire or discourage, guide or deceive. Our words are very influential, and we often underestimate or overlook just how much real power we have and exercise through them. It is enough to think how much good we can do with words of encouragement and guidance, and how much damage and harm we can cause by gossip or quarrels. Our words shape the world and people, and we must take responsibility for them.
Second, our words must reflect who we are. Honesty and integrity in speaking must be one of the trademarks of the true believer. Many people in our world have lost confidence in the value of words because words have become tools for self-promotion and deception for many. We see this in public life, in the example of many politicians and media houses. Unfortunately, we see this also in our Christian communities. But there is a lesson to be learned here. We all know who these pretenders are and know their true character. This is the clearest proof that both Ben Sirach and Jesus were right stating that the words will eventually reveal the truth about a person’s true self and his or her intentions. We ourselves often say things attempting to create a self-image that is not true to who we are, hoping that others will believe us. This is an illusion. Both our own life experience and the reading of today confirm that neither we nor anybody else can pretend for long. If we try it, everyone will eventually come to see past our deception, which will leave us in shame and isolation. Our Christian wisdom consists in realizing that our path to gaining respect, and ultimately to eternal life, leads through honesty, integrity, and faithfulness to Jesus’s teaching, all expressed through our right use of words.
PROVERB
“The proverb is like a horse. When the truth is missing, we use a proverb to find it.”
ACTION
Self-examination
How do I think of myself in relation to others? Am I sufficiently self-critical or too self-critical?
Am I honest when talking to others, or do I attempt to create a false image that does not correspond to who I really am?
Response to God
As a part of my daily prayer, I will read at least a few lines from chapters 10 – 29 of the book of Proverbs and reflect on the wisdom which God gives me through the sayings found there.
Response to your World
I will carefully monitor my words spoken to my friends, family, and colleagues and reflect on what image of me these words create before others.
We will invite someone with enough knowledge and training to our group to explain to us the meaning of one of the most famous biblical wisdom sayings, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 9:10).
PRAYER
Lord God, the source and giver of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. We thank you for enlightening our simple minds. Through your word that comes to us in different forms, you have instructed us on how to live well according to your will. Help us to aspire to understand you even better and love you evermore. Amen.
Scripture quotations from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, © 1989, 1993. Used with permission.
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