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8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) – 2nd March 2025

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) – 2nd March 2025

Quick Glance Summary

  • Theme: Jesus teaches us the way to God’s Kingdom through self-scrutiny. 
  • Key Message: Be alert to yourself. Question your motives. A false sense of superiority is not only bad for others, bad for you as a person: it also leads you away from God. 
  • First Reading (Sirach 27:4-7): A person’s speech reveals their true character, just as a sieve separates impurities.
  • Psalm (Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16): A song of praise. Being focused on God is the way to good character, true wisdom and produces fruit in good actions.
  • Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:54-58): Paul proclaims Christ’s victory over death, calling us to hold on to this faith and to keep on working for others and on ourselves.
  • Gospel (Luke 6:39-45): Jesus warns against presumption and hypocrisy. He invites us to be more aware of ourselves and the harm we can do.

Gospel: Luke 6:39-45

Liturgical Title: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) – 2nd March 2025

Jesus told a parable to His disciples: ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye. There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. Every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good person draws what is good from the store of goodness in their heart; a bad person draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a person’s words flow out of what fills the heart.’

Overview of the Gospel

This passage is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in Luke’s Gospel. Here, Jesus uses three vivid images to illustrate the importance of integrity, humility, and self-awareness:

  1. The blind leading the blind – A warning that we cannot guide others if we are spiritually blind ourselves.
  2. The plank and the splinter – A reminder to examine our own faults before pointing out the faults of others.
  3. A tree and its fruit – A person’s words and actions reveal what is truly in their heart.

Jesus calls us to self-reflection before judging others. If we wish to lead others closer to God, we must first ensure that our own hearts are rooted in goodness.

Connecting the Gospel to Today’s Context

No one is perfect. Even a child can see when people are unfair. But the same child cannot always see when they are unfair themselves: refusing to share, pushing others out of the way, insisting on their own way without thinking of others. 

To grow up is to be able to see what one does not see as a child: our own shortcomings; the needs of others; the way we hurt others; the presumption that we are always right.

Growing up involves correction. Growing up involves being able to see things from the point of view of others: coming to maturity involves being able to correct ourselves. To be a disciple involves discipline, in this case ‘self discipline’. Today’s Gospel brings all this to focus. 

The consequences for our lack of self discipline are all too real. The hurts we do others, the presumption that we are right, the way we judge others: all these thrive when our self-awareness is lacking. When we do not acknowledge our own faults: we will be harder to live with; we will be more judgemental of others; we will be slower to forgive. To the extent that we are blind to our own faults, we are immature. The more we are tuned in to our own resistance to do the right thing, the more we have wisdom, understanding, right judgement, knowledge… and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

The modern Western liberal culture often prioritises personal satisfaction over consideration for others. Jesus is alerting us to the danger of presumption and self-satisfaction. He is, rather, calling us to self-examination and self-awareness. Rather than presuming our relationships with others are there for our satisfaction, Jesus would clearly prefer that we ask ourselves how we can love and serve others better. 

When we walk away from Jesus, we walk away from his advice and his challenge. The mor we stay with Jesus - the more we practice our faith - the more we keep ourselves alert to our shortfalls. In that regard, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is so important. To the extent that we let that practice go as individuals and as Church, to that extent we let go of an important avenue to self-awareness that might keep us  humble (while at the same time reassuring us of God’s love and forgiveness). The less attention we pay to our own failings, the more we risk becoming self-indulgent and self-righteous. The less energy we have for ‘going the extra mile’. And society suffers for the want of that witness and that gift. 

Reflection Questions & Responses

  • Who or what groups might find these readings especially helpful?
    • Teachers, parents, and mentors: Called to lead others, they must first nurture their own wisdom and faith.
    • Those struggling with judgmental attitudes: This passage encourages them to focus on their own growth first.
    • Anyone seeking to deepen their faith: A reminder that true spiritual progress comes from inner transformation.
    • People in leadership roles: They must lead with integrity, ensuring their actions match their words.
  • What human weaknesses do they address, and what virtues do they aim to strengthen?
    • Weaknesses: Hypocrisy, rash judgment, pride, spiritual blindness.
    • Virtues: Humility, self-awareness, wisdom, integrity.
  • What is the feeling tone of each reading?
    • Sirach: Reflective and instructive, urging wisdom in speech.
    • Psalm: Joyful and reassuring, celebrating the flourishing of the just.
    • 1 Corinthians: Triumphant and hopeful, proclaiming Christ’s victory over death.
    • Gospel: Challenging yet encouraging, calling for self-examination and true discipl
  • Which saints or well-known figures exemplify the message of each reading?
  • What works of art, poems, or pieces of music provide insight into the message?
  • Where has the message of these readings been true in my life or those close to me?
    • A personal story of realising the need for humility before advising or correcting others.
    • A parishioner who, after a time of self-reflection, recognised their own faults before judging others.
    • A reflection on how fostering goodness in our hearts leads to better relationships and a more Christ-like way of life.

First Reading: Sirach 27:4-7

When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains; so a man's filth remains in his thoughts.The kiln tests the potter’s vessels; so the test of a man is in his conversation.The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so a man's speech discloses the cultivation of his mind. Do not praise a man before you hear him speak, for this is the test of men.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where 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 brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.

Final Encouragement

Before we look outward, we must look inward. As we approach Lent, let us take this call to self-examination seriously, asking God to transform our hearts so that we may bear good fruit in our lives.

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