Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
8th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle C)
Readings:
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27:4-7
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45
Abbreviations: NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and that is why we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: Honesty in Proclaiming the Word
God calls all Christians to give their testimony of Jesus
Christ and His Gospel of salvation. However, a Christian's witness is only
credible if it is honest and reflects the image of Christ in the life of the
one bearing testimony of Jesus and His Kingdom.
The First Reading introduces the theme of the Gospel Reading concerning the necessity of the language of the speaker/messenger inspired by the Lord as an accurate reflection of the quality of the speaker's character. The inspired writer of Sirach teaches that words are only credible if they can stand the test of tribulation without faltering and the examination of honesty that is readily discernable in one's life. It is a teaching echoed in the Psalm reading, which proclaims that only just people are "planted in the house of the LORD" and shall bear the fruit of righteous behavior.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds us that belief in the salvation of the Gospel is not an excuse to become complacent. We are all called to continually bear witness to the truth of Christ in our speech, actions, and our daily lives as we interact with other people, including our family, neighbors, brothers and sisters in the faith community, and co-workers in secular society. Paul writes that we must "be firm, steadfast, always devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus warns His disciples about the necessity of demonstrating His righteousness in their lives. They can do this through their rhetoric and making the truth of His Gospel discernable in their actions. Jesus uses a saying and two short parables in His teaching about behavior. His two parables focus on a person's message only being credible if they are honest with themselves and others. It is a warning that applies to us today.
In this series of teachings, Jesus calls His disciples in every generation to be guided by a spiritual discernment showing the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Therefore, they must be honest in confessing and repenting their transgressions before calling other sinners to repentance. They must also produce the "good fruit" of righteous deeds as evidence of one who bears the image of the resurrected Jesus Christ. The philosopher Goethe repeated the point of Jesus's teaching when he wrote: "Behavior is the mirror of one's true image." Does your behavior mirror the image of the Resurrected Jesus Christ?
Since the ministerial priesthood and the priesthood of believers (the laity) has the responsibility of bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel, the words they speak must support the honesty and integrity of their actions which, in turn, must support the honesty and integrity of their words. Bad behavior hurts the Christian witness and could become a negative influence that fails to bring a lost soul to salvation, for which one could be held accountable when standing before the Lord God in Divine Judgment.
The First Reading Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27:4-7 ~ The
Quality of One's Speech is a Test of One's Character
4 When a sieve is
shaken, the husks appear; so do one's faults when one speaks. 5 As the test of what the potter molds is in the
furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just. 6 The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one's speech disclose the bent of one's mind. 7 Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then
that people are tested.
Using examples from everyday life, including a sieve used to separate the grain from the husk and a kiln that fires a clay pot, the inspired writer compares tribulation in one's life to a test that reveals the quality of someone's character. The wise person knows when to speak and when to remain silent; he knows it is unnecessary to say everything he thinks. He also knows that thoughts precede actions, and sin is conceived in one's mind before it becomes an evil deed. He compares good deeds to good fruit, which is evidence of the careful cultivation of a fruit tree in the same way that a wise man who controls his thoughts produces the fruit of righteous acts.
Responsorial Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16 ~ A Hymn of Thanksgiving
for God's Fidelity
The response is: "Lord, it is good to give thanks to you."
2 It is good to give
thanks to the LORD, to sing praise to your name, Most High, 3 to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your
faithfulness throughout the night.
Response:
13 The just one
shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. 14 They that are planted in the house of the
LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Response:
15 They shall bear
fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, 16 declaring how just is the LORD, my rock, in
whom there is no wrong.
Response:
Psalm 92 is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise sung by the faithful in the morning and evening (our afternoon since each new Jewish day began at sundown) Sabbath Temple liturgy (verses 2-3). The singing of the psalms in Temple worship rotated according to the day of the week. For example, on the first day of the week (Sunday), the Levitical choir sang Psalm 24, commemorating the first day of Creation when God created and then took sovereign possession of the cosmos (Mishnah: Tamid, 7:4A-B). On the second day of the week, they sang Psalm 48, on the third day, Psalm 82, on the fourth day, Psalm 94, on the fifth day, Psalm 81, and on the sixth day, Psalm 93. At the end of the week, on the Sabbath (Saturday), when two lambs were sacrificed in addition to the morning and afternoon Tamid lambs (Num 28:9-10), the Levites and the congregation sang Psalm 92, a hymn of praise for God's mercy and justice (Mishnah: Tamid 7:4H):
In verses 13-14, the psalmist promises the righteous will flourish in the Liturgy of worship in the "House of Yahweh" (the Jerusalem Temple) in the presence of the just God like a well-watered tree. The psalmist and all who come to worship Yahweh in His Temple will continue to yield fruitful lives to the end of their days because God will never fail them as a reward for their faithfulness (verse 16).
The Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 ~ A Hymn of
Triumph Over Death
54 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. 55
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to
God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 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.
The Greek Christians of Corinth were having difficulty accepting the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead because it was a concept with which the Greeks were utterly unfamiliar. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, St. Paul gives a compelling argument supporting the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave. In verses 54-58, he concludes with a hymn of thanksgiving to God for the tremendous gift to humanity merited by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which comes from His victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Paul writes that physical death has been "swallowed up in victory" as the price of the death of the One who was sinless and able to condemn physical death without a lasting impact on the mortal soul (verses 54-55). Then in verses 56-57, Paul summarizes his teaching on the connection between Mosaic Law, sin, and death. Sin is the "sting" of death because it entered the world through the sin of Adam to harm all his descendants (see Rom 5:12). As humanity increased, sin grew. The Law of the Sinai Covenant (Law of Moses) defined sin, but it was incapable of providing the grace to enable humans to avoid sin. In verse 58, St. Paul urges Christians to continue the fight by being "firm, steadfast, and devoted to the work of the Lord" and by knowing that our good deeds offered in a labor of love for the Lord are not in vain.
The Gospel of Luke 6:39-45 ~ A Person is Known by the
Quality of His Actions
39 And Jesus told
His disciples a parable, "Can a blind person guide a blind
person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40
No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every
disciple will be like his teacher. 41 Why
do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the
wooden beam in your own? 42 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. 43 A
good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. 44 For people do not pick figs from thorn
bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 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.
In this passage, Jesus uses a saying and two short parables to teach about correct behavior. He began teaching in parables when He encountered the opposition of His audience that included the religious leaders (see Mk 5:36-39). A parable is a story based on a familiar life experience that conveys a particular truth or imparts a lesson. Biblical scholars number the parables in the Gospels as between 35-75. The wide variation in numbering the parables comes from the difficulty in classifying what is defined as a parable, a saying or maxim, a simile or a metaphor, or an allegory. Eight major themes occur regularly in Jesus's parables:
The Saying of the Blind Guide: In verse 39, Jesus said, "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?" He uses what may have been a popular saying to make His point about the importance of correct behavior. A person already immersed in sin cannot lead someone else out of sin and back to the path of righteousness. He is a "blind guide" and a hypocrite because of his sinful condition. The "pit" is probably a reference to the fiery pit of the hell of the damned. Notice that Jesus uses the Greek word "hypocrite" in verse 42. There is no Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent. It is a Greek word that refers to the Greek theater and means "playing a role or part." Jesus's point is that someone guilty of unconfessed sins for which they have not shown repentance is only a hypocrite playing the part of a righteous person when they try to bring to light the sins of another.
The Parable of the Splinter and the Beam: In verses 40-41, Jesus says: "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? 42 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."
The "teacher" in verse 40 is Christ. No disciple is superior
to Christ, but every disciple, when trained in the "Word," can live in the
image and likeness of Christ to be an example to others.
Jesus teaches that in fighting sin, we must begin with
fighting the failures in ourselves. We are hypocrites if we quickly judge a
fault in someone else when we are guilty of the same sin in our life. When we
recognize and condemn in someone else what is a sin in our lives without
confessing and repenting our transgressions, then our sins will doubly count
against us at the accounting of our lives before God at Divine Judgment. We
will also have no credibility if we try to help someone else whose life is torn
apart by sin if our lives are just as tainted. The answer to living a life of
righteousness is to seek God's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
When we experience the grace of God's mercy, we must offer that same forgiveness
to others in the human family. To forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us is a petition in the Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:12).
We must be committed to forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in
Christ (Eph 4:32). St. Augustine wrote, "Whoever confesses his sins ...is already
working with God" (In Evangelium Johannis, 12).
The Parable of a Tree and its Fruit: In verses 43-45, Jesus said: A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. 44 For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 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.
Jesus used this parable in the Sermon on the Mount to help discern between the true and false prophet (Mt 7:15-20). Someone who claims he speaks in the name of God is someone who claims to be a prophet. Unfortunately, throughout salvation history there have always been false prophets leading the faithful astray. In relating this teaching to the blind guide saying, one can recognize the true child of God who is a guide to others by the quality of his deeds that are the "fruits" of good works that his life produces like compassion, mercy, charity to the poor and a forgiving heart. Notice the reference to "thorn bushes," a reminder of Adam's judgment in Genesis 3:18.
45 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.
People in Jesus's time understood the heart as the moral essence
of a person for good or evil. It was the seat of one's personality. The
struggle against sin and evil entails purifying oneself by confessing sin and
surrendering to the interior anointing of God the Holy Spirit. Only then can
someone genuinely do what is righteous. In Jesus's parable, the good fruit
(good works) come from good trees (good people), and the rotten fruit (evil works)
come from bad trees (people with evil intentions). The malicious accusations of
the scribes and Pharisees reveal the malice and evil in their hearts; it is their
rotten fruit/deeds that identify them as evil. They are looking for sin in
Jesus when there was an abundance of sin evident in their lives.
In the "tree known by its fruit" parable, Jesus uses one of the covenant images of the Old Testament prophets. There are four reoccurring symbolic images of the prophets that represent a covenant relationship or lack of a covenant relationship with God: (1) marriage, (2) the fruitful vine and tree, (3) domesticated animals, and (4) drinking wine (See the chart "The Symbolic Images of the Prophets"). In this series of teachings, Jesus was calling His disciples in every generation to be guided by a spiritual discernment that is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. They must be honest in confessing and repenting their transgressions before calling other sinners to repentance. They must bear the "good fruit" of righteous deeds as evidence of one who bears the image of the resurrected Jesus Christ. The philosopher Goethe repeated the point of Jesus' teaching when he wrote: "Behavior is the mirror of one's true image." Does your behavior mirror the image of the righteous Resurrected Jesus Christ?
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture is quoted
or paraphrased in the citation):
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 27:4 (CCC 2847*)
Psalm 92 (CCC 1174*, 1175-1178, 1196)
1 Corinthians 15:56 (CCC 602*)
Luke 6:39-45 (CCC 1833, 2000, 2478)
The heart is the home of truth (CCC 2562-2563)
Good acts and evil acts (CCC 1755-1756)
Forming conscience and decision-making (CCC 1783-1794)
Spiritual direction (CCC 2690)
The Christian view of death (CCC 1009*, 1010*, 1011*, 1012*, 1013*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2016; revised 2022 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.