Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Praise be to Jesus Christ

 

Did you spend last week in grace?

We give praise and thanks God who has allowed and led us to the righteous path to true faith.  

 

Recently we have witnessed international crisis in Europe.  Russia has invaded Ukraine.  We should pay attention to this tragedy and pray for the people of Ukraine.  War is evil because it kills many innocent people.  

 

This war started with speeches; Putin gave the order to attack.  Politicians initiate a war with speeches.  However, the war is fought by the soldiers and they along with civilians are sacrificed and killed.  Already hundreds have died.  We pray so that the war will end soon.  

 

Words have tremendous power.  God created the world with words.  You may be forgiven a debt if you speak properly.  On the other hand, the serpent pushed Adam and Eve to the original sin with his words.  Tongue can leave more devastating wounds than a knife; it can also kill persons.  

 

The first reading teaches us: 

“When a sieve is shaken the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks” (Sirach 27:4)

“As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just.” (Sirach 27:5)

“Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.” (Sirach 27:7)

 

Furthermore, in today’s gospel, the words reveal the state of one’s mind:

“A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil.” (Luke 6:45)   As a good tree bears good fruit and a rotten tree bears rotten fruit, from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.  

 

There are phrases we like to hear: I love you, thank you, I am sorry, congratulations, and etc.  These are constructive, complementing, and supportive expressions from the good heart.  The good words are linked to God who cures and saves us.  God helps the neighbors and the world from the good store He created.  

 

There are phrases we do not want to hear: profanity, lies, nagging, complaints, boasting, and etc.  From the evil store, people speak negative, condescending, vicious, and offensive words.  Evil words are linked to greed.  When you are attached to materialistic or acknowledgment desires, you create an evil store where you harm others.  

 

Today is the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  We need to refrain from words that can harm others but use phrases that can comfort so that we can spend time in God’s grace.  

 

Let us meditate for a moment.