2nd March 2025
Lectionary Readings: Sirach. 27:4-7; Ps 92:1-2,12-15; 1 Cor.15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45.
 Theme: Listen Carefully
The book of Sirach is a collection of proverbs about righteous living that was written about 175 BCE The book is sometimes called the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach. The passage that is read today discusses what oneâs words reveal about the speaker. As Paul concludes one of his letters to the Corinthians, he rejoices what God has done though Christ.
In the last two Sunday gospels taken from Lukeâs âSermon on the Plainâ we have a message that goes against human logic. Jesus used the Beatitudes to challenge the worldview of His day. He turned it upside down, as it does ours. In todayâs gospel Jesus uses parables to reinforce the message of vv. 20-38, by putting vivid pictures before the hearer to provoke thought. Luke gives these largely traditional parables 6: 39-40, 41-42, 43-45 specific meaning.
The first is a homely image of two blind men. One blind person leading another and if they are not careful, they will both end up in a pit. Jesus met several blind people during his lifetime, and some showed great insight and yet others, the Pharisees for example, may have had good eyesight, but grave spiritual blindness. The disciples were also blind until they had their eyes opened by Jesusâ teaching. This could be a general warning that teachers in the community must base their teaching on the truth of the gospel. More likely, the blind man is a Christian who ignores the teaching of Jesus in this sermon which calls for love of enemies and sharing of possessions (6:27-28)
In the early church, the baptized were referred to as âthe illuminati- the enlightened ones âbecause the light of Christ had opened their eyes, but unfortunately as the years passed, they sometimes lost the light of the gospel and become blind guides to others who had also forgotten the message of Christ.â
Jesus recalls another saying: âThe disciple is never superior to his teacher, but a fully trained disciple will be like his teacher.â
More tragic is the situation of those in the second parable who do not know their own blindness. It highlights our tendency to see the tiny blemishes in other people while not noticing our own grave failures. Sensitive to the specks in the eyes of others we are ignorant of the planks in our own. When we have a plank in our eyes it is hard to remove the neighbourâs splinter. Huge logs prevent a clear vision of the demand of the word of God.
The third parable concerns trees and their fruits. The tree is a common Biblical image for the wise individual (Jer.15.7; Ps 2:3.) âYou can tell a tree by its own fruit.â The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good whereas the evil person produces evil. We are accustomed to interpret these words of Jesus as meaning that we must value people from what they do and this is their meaning in the context of Matthewâs gospel (Mt 7:15-20). Here in the gospel of Luke they have a different meaning: they are an invitation to assess people from what they say: âfor the words of the mouth flow out of what fills the heart.â The words that the believer speaks have come out of a heart filled to the brim and overflowing with the teaching of Christ.
For Reflection and Discussion: 1. In his teaching Jesus touches on an important subject in all personal relationships: self-criticism is an essential part of genuine relations with other people. How do you understand this? 2.â For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.â What fills our hearts?
Bibliography: Armellini, F Celebrating the Word Year C. Paulines Publications, Kenya 1994; Edmonds P sj A Companion to the Sunday Missal ABC Paulines Publications Africa 2002; King. N sj Scriptural Reflections Catholic Bookshop Cape Town 2019; McBride D. Seasons of the Word. St Paulâs Mumbai
This weekâs Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Marie Andre Mitchell, SNDdeN M.Th, Johannesburg South Africa, Bat Kol Alumna/Alumnus: 2021-2,4,6,8,9,10
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