Homily Eighth Sunday of Year C: Fr. Udoekpo Michael Ufok
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Sir 27:4-7
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Ps 92:2-3,13-14, 15-16
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1 Cor 15:54-58
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Luke 6:39-45
Celebrating our Words and Deeds of Love and Mercy
On this Eighth Sunday of the Year we come together as a
church- family to worship God; to celebrate Christ who challenges us on the
proper use of word and language for the building up of our homes, the church
and communities.
We all live in a human world today that is so often
characterize by our use of fouls language, gossiping, back-biting our
neighbors, passing rash judgment on neighbors, passing thoughtless and damaging
judgment, insulting and painful remarks . Sometimes with our language and
words, we may bring down our neighbors' reputation, and causing them irreparable
damage. Sometimes we do this in the name of politics. And sometimes in the name
jokes!
Scripture readings today exhort us to avoid all this.
Rather, like Christ, our words and language should be that of love, hope,
faith, empowerment, up lighting, complimentary and healing. Our words should be
descent, clean, modest, polished, compassionate, charitable, full of love, and good manners. We should say to others what we would want said unto us,
publicly or privately!
In the 1st
reading from Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus found mostly in the Catholic Bible,
written in Greek, around 180 BC, but later translated into in Hebrew and other languages,
we learn from this man, an experienced observer of life, though originally
addressing his contemporaries on practical matters of faith and morals. Ben Sira speaks
to us today.
Ben Sira teaches us that what is inside each and every
one of us could be revealed through our language, words, utterances and
speeches we make, here and there! He gives us practical and agricultural
examples. As the grains, such as rice, beans, corn, or maize and husks are separated
in a farmer's sieve, as the quality of metal is determined in the potter’ fire,
and as the size and quality of the fruit
shows the care the mother tree had received--- so are our words! Therefore, we
should be prudent in judging others or leave all final judgment to God!
Echoes of Ben Sira’s moral teaching are also heard in the Responsorial Psalms (Ps 92), which says “Lord it good to give thanks to the
Lord.” What the psalmist means here, like Ben Sira, is that it is better to
spend time, praying, singing praises to the Lord, thanking him for all the
blessings he has bless us with, instead of spending all our energies quarreling,
gossiping and fighting. For Paul, doing this will not bring us the victory that
is in the resurrection of Christ for those who persevere in faith. That is why
Saint Paul, in the 2nd Reading, says, to the quarreling Corinthian community, “brothers and sisters
be firm, steadfast, and always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that
in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
We hear parallel message in the Sermon on the Plain,
today’s Gospel, Luke 6:39-45, which is a continuation of last Week’s Gospel
reading. In it Jesus condemns hypocrisy, or any careless, malicious or rash
judgment about the feelings, behavior or actions of others. If we do this it is
like a blind person leading a blind person. Both of them may not safely get to
their destinations. Jesus condemns those with woods in their eyes criticizing a
tiny splinter in their neighbor’s eyes. Jesus advises us to remove the wooden
beams first in our eyes before we make an attempt to get rid of splinter in our
neighbor’s eyes.
Each of us can
draw up many examples in the light of the lessons of today’s scriptures. I am also sure, there are many stories on this subject of hypocritically judging our neighbors. These are very practical matters. I remember
a story of one saint, called St. Philip Neri who after observing the misbehavior
of a sinner and a drunkard soliloquizes “there goes Philip but for the grace of
God.” And St. was also known for the
expression, “I am what I am for the grace of God.”
Let us pray at this worship, particularly in this era of
Pope Francis, a Pope of mercy, that we compassionate, and merciful in judging
our neighbors. And that the Lord, through his agent, the Holy Spirit may always
inspire, or give us the right word, attitude and manner to use when talking to
our fellow brothers and sisters. That our language may always bring hope,
restore life, instill faith, joy and love in our families, in the church, communities, our institutions, places
of work, and society as a whole.
Reflecting Questions
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How do we relate to today's readings, beginning with Ben Sira, this wise observer of life?
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Can we think of the number of times we have failed to
address our brothers and sisters prudently and in healthy manner?
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What have we done to redress the damage our bad languages
and gossiping may have done to our neighbors.
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How often do we encourage members of our faith and
religious communities to address one another with Christian love and manner?
