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(2nd March 2025) Homily for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Sir 27: 4-7; 1Cor 15:54-58; Lk 6: 39-45)

REFLECT: Actions manifest our association with God

My dear friends in Christ, we are in the eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings of the day invite us to reflect on how our actions manifest our association or relationship with God. We hear from St. Paul’s letter to Galatians, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). Yes, good actions bear fruit in due season.  Actions are the manifestation of our inner and pure nature or character, by which we come to know or understand, who we are and what is the purpose behind every act that we do. Whether we are good or bad is determined by the actions that we do. The fruits of our actions are the result of our intention, purpose and destiny. As we are in the eighth Sunday of ordinary time, a Sunday prior to Lenten season. It focuses on and presents before a preview of what actions would be suitable to begin the season of lent a season of Grace. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.      Be Genuine

We all know what it means to be genuine, it’s the fact of being real and exactly what it appears to be; they are not artificial. In appearance and in actuality they remain the same and there is no duplicity or doubt concerning the nature and character. The actions of genuine persons will disclose genuiness in all they do. That’s what the first reading reminds us not to come to a conclusion of persons without knowing properly their expression of speech and thought. The first reading from the book of Sirac very clearly speaks, “Just as a well-tended tree is shown by its fruits, so also the mind of another is detected by   what one speaks or expresses.”

We all get carried away by people with honey speech is but the intentions is evil. At times genuine people are taken into task, cheated, treated badly or incorrectly, no one to support or comfort. Today let’s not judge the book by its cover rather let their actions and speech make us understand who is good and evil. Today we pray that we promote genuine persons and genuiness in life. For genuiness manifest our nature with God as original and real image created by God.

As we all know that Pope Francis often emphasizes the importance of authenticity in our relationship with God and with others. His words about living a sincere life align well with the idea of being genuine. That’s what he very beautifully points out, “The world tells us to seek success, power, and money; God tells us to seek humility, simplicity, and love.” Yes, it underscores the call to be authentic and genuine in our actions, reflecting God's love through simplicity and humility, rather than being caught up in appearances or superficial success or influences.

Today we need to be genuine with God and His works, and stop from judging others by appearances, so that we could deepen our relationship with God with a heart of humility, empathy, and discernment. For such a genuine life with God and with one another need our efforts to engage in honest prayer; we need to seek God’s will than our own will; we need to live out the genuine faith by reflecting God’s love, compassion and commands; we need to remind ourselves of the true identity in Christ at all times and in all activities that we have entrusted or engaged; we need to be consistent in the practice of worship that we do, which is heart sprung and sincere; we need to allow God’s word and wisdom to transform us, so that we become what God wants of us as his children.

Perhaps, in order that we don’t judge others by appearance what we could do is to have firm faith and manifestation of God’s love in all that we do. It depends on how discreet are over our judgement with others; we need to listen and understand the motivations behind every action; we need to recognize the good in others and avoid gossip and envying of others good name, qualities or virtues. Thus, we look beyond the surface level and delve deeply into the genuine behaviours, deeds and qualities of people in line with the commands of God and kingdom values. I am sure by practicing and being genuine with God and with one another we maintain our relationship with God in a healthy manner leading to live out our faith with integrity, kindness, and true compassion.

2.      Devote yourself to the Lord

Devotion is a deep love or loyalty or an act of giving time and energy to someone or somebody we love. For example, a devotee in deep love with God, a parent in deep love with children or children the same. We devote ourselves to others in time and energy so as to be close and to maintain the relationship with one another. Sometimes we devote ourselves to money, power, post and position, worldly values. But all these are transitory and temporary but what remains permanent is our devotion to the Lord. Our devotion to God proves our love and authenticity; our devotion to God manifests how committed we are in our responsibilities and in our associations with God and his works; our devotion to God certifies that we are children of God and not children of the world and worldly impacts and desires.

That’s what we see in the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to Corinthians, be steadfast, immovable always, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Yes, devoting ourselves to the Lord, his works, his words and his values, we shall have victory over death, sadness, sufferings and difficulties, because devotion to the lord is our dedication, devotion to the lord is our determination, devotion to the lord is the divine power we obtain to be firm in our action and in union with the lord. So today let’s pray that we devote our ways and works towards the Lord to be gripped onto the love of God and be his children.

We can be certain that devotion to God is central to Pope Francis’s teachings, where he often speaks about the need to give our lives fully to God’s service and not to be influenced or distracted by worldly distractions. Thus, in Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis says, “"To be a Christian means to be devoted to God, to serve others with love and joy. Devotion to God means giving Him our entire lives, not part of it.” Yes, it resonates our call to be devoted to the Lord in giving ourselves fully to God’s work and his will. However, we need to understand that the emphasis on true devotion involves total dedication, not just at the lips service in word rather in action as well.

Today, we need to understand that to be completely devoted to the Lord is a journey of commitment and faith. We need daily prayers and communication with God; we need to be deeply rooted in scripture and use them as main tool for defence and living out the faith that we profess every day; we need to regularize our participation in the Eucharist and other prayerful devotions that enhances our journey with God; we need to trust in God’s plan and his will; ultimately, we need to forego our selfish desires and ambitions, surrender ourselves completely to the Lord, so that we let go of personal desires, worldly pursuits, or things that distract us from following God. Thus, we can become more deeply devoted to the Lord, where our love for Him will grow stronger, our actions show our commitment, leading to a life in God, through God and with God.

3.      Be fully focused

It is a point of movement, a centre of activity, attraction and attention. We give complete concentration to the task given. So that the mind is completely fixed and gripped in order to obtain the intended result. Sometimes we focus on the self or others but before that we are called to focus on God and the purpose for which we are created by God. Our focus on God would give us abundant results of happiness and satisfaction. Our focus on the purpose for which we are created would enable us to bear fruit but good fruits.

That’s what the Gospel reading of the day invites us to focus on and to act on. A blind cannot lead the another blind or himself or others because he/she has no sight and so they cannot see. The blind cannot see; they cannot see clearly; they are dependent on others for help and support; So, he or she will not be able to direct himself or herself or others. Thus, just as blind people need vision and sight to see and to see clearly, we also need to be see, see clearly what’s set before us, see the goodness and focus on the good and goodness of people. However, our focus is not to see the speck in the eye of another rather first of all to be clean oneself of the dirt and filth that we have and thereafter see clearly the goodness and good actions of people, appreciate, acknowledge and values such good deed and goodness in people. In addition to the above, our focus is not to bear bad fruit rather good fruits that results in meaningful life of happiness and satisfaction. So, we are called to be good persons with the conscience pure and true.

That’s why a very beautiful description of good and evil person is given in the gospel reading of the day, “the good person will have a good treasure in heart and the evil person will have evil treasure in heart.” Yes, true to this statement, what we do shall be the fruit of our actions in our lives. Today many of us have lost this focus of moving towards God and the good. We have deviated from the focus of life to be victims of worldly possessions and positions. We forget that our prime focus in this world is to be God’s children, good children and show goodness of God and share the goodness of God to everyone on earth. This good nature and good nurtured character will come about if only we are focused to the purpose for which we are created by God. So let us pray that we fully focus on for the purpose for which we are created to be good and bear good fruit, thus remaining in the circle of God’s friendship, love and care.

Today let us remind ourselves of Jesus words by the Evangelist Matthew, “it is not those who call Lord, Lord who will enter the kingdom of heaven but those who do the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt 7:21). Yes, the will of God is that we remain good and show the goodness of God in our daily dealings in action. As actions manifest our nature with God, we need to be genuine, we need to be devoted to God and be fully focused for the purpose for which we are created. For being genuine, being devoted to God and his ways and be fully focused for the purpose that we are created will enable us move towards the destination of life happily. It would become an access to enjoy the fruits of hard labour in life. As someone said it very beautifully, “don’t talk but act, don’t say but show and don’t promise but prove.” Let’s then actualize ourselves as children of God, let us show that we are children of God and prove that we are children of God by the good actions that we manifest. Let me conclude with the quote of Pope Francis, “We are all called to be missionaries, to be focused on the Gospel, to be focused on what is good and true, and to bring that to others.” So let our should be on God’s mission for us, staying true to our calling and living out the Gospel.

RESPOND:

Are we genuine and true in our association with God and one another?

Are we completely devoted to the Lord or the world and to its whims and fancies or desires and its destiny?

Are we fully focused on God’s purpose over us and do we make efforts daily to achieve that purpose by good deeds?

Let us be genuine, devote ourselves completely to the Lord and be fully focused on God and his purpose for us, thus manifesting our association and relationship with God to one another in the world. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!