A Reflection for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C).
Ecclesiasticus 27:4-7 – 1Corinthians 15:54-58 – Luke 6:39-45.
Language is the vehicle we use on a daily basis to share with our family, friends and colleagues what’s going on in our life… our thoughts, our joys and sorrows, our concerns and our difficulties. Words are so powerful that they are capable not only of revealing the depth (or shallowness) of a speaker’s mentality, but also of revealing the dynamics and machinations of a person’s personality. For example, media interviewers employ language skilfully in their attempts to elicit from politicians what is actually going on in their minds and hearts!
According to today’s 1st reading (taken from Wisdom literature), the true nature of someone’s heart is to be discerned in the words that that they utter, in the conversations that they have, in the fruits of their tongue (Prov 18:21). Whether someone prefers to articulate their thoughts and bounce them off someone else in order to reach a conclusion, or to ponder them and do all the hard work internally before popping out a polished observation, it is through the content of what someone actually says that reveals the cultivation of their mind.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was teaching those of His followers who were to become leaders in the Church. His message to them was about persevering in personal obedience to the Law and speaking the truth in order to hand on the Faith. He used the image of a tree which, like us, takes a lifetime to grow and produce good fruit.
Tell me about the fruit of a tree and I will tell you what species of tree it is. Tell me what the fruit of that tree is like, and I will tell you about the quality of the tree that bore it, whether it’s a fine example or a wimpy one. Now, that tree is you. Other people know what you’re like inside by the quality of fruit that you bear to the world. You too can know your true self by what comes out of you in terms of your words, your deeds, and how you live out your faith. What is the fruit that you bear that shows the world what you’re really like?
Jesus’ parable highlights the kind of person who take pleasure in pointing out other people’s mistakes – the kind of person who, despite their having their own vision blanked out by a log, attempts to remove a splinter that is slightly obscuring someone else’s vision (v.41). He concludes by reminding us that a person’s words flow from what fills the heart: Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (ex abundantia cordis os loquitur) (v.45). You’ve heard the expression “engage brain before opening mouth”? You have to have the facts before you before you go ahead and open your mouth. It’s one thing to air a problem privately and to talk it through with a trusted confidant(e) to get the facts of a situation straight before you criticize someone. It’s quite another to open your mouth and let your tummy rumble in public without having the facts at your fingertips. Never forget that no-one alive is perfect, and that there is no-one on the planet who has never made a mistake. If you are going to offer criticism to someone for a valid reason, then offer it privately, one-to-one: If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother (Mt 18:15). Do it gently and tactfully for a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov 15:1).
Your holiness and your spiritual beauty should be the real deals, emanating from your internal world. If what you say reflects who you are, then the care you take with the words you choose to utter should not be confined to what you say in the public arena. If you are guilty of talking behind someone’s back for the titillation that gossip delivers both to you and your hearers, then coming out of you are things of which you should not be proud. Gossiping and fault-finding deflect your focus from your own deficiencies, and project them onto other people. Rather than coming out and saying something that might well defame someone (and, by extension, defame you too), bin it and choose instead to say things that will edify, comfort and uplift others. If you work on mastering that discipline, you will become obedient to the Law of God, you will speak only the truth, and you will be a fine witness to the Faith. That’s the way you will develop into a fine tree producing fine fruit.
St Paul advises each one of us to keep on working at overcoming sin and mastering temptation. All of the things we say and do, both to God and to other people, should be offered in positive terms. Let our external words and actions mirror our interior faith and hope. With a positive outlook, let us offer thanks to God for showering His blessings on us (Is 45:8; Jas 1:17). The Psalmist declared that it is good to give thanks to the Lord (v.2). Rendering words of thanksgiving to God is edifying to man and honours God.
Let us pray: Lord help us to witness to the Kingdom and to bear good fruit through our thoughts, words and deeds. Forgive us for the many times we have wounded others by our words and actions, and for the many times we have judged others instead of addressing what is lacking in us. May the inspiration of the Holy Spirit guide our minds, our mouths, and our moves. Amen. God bless you.