Homily Feb, 27 2022 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

[Music] the lord be with you and with your spirit a reading from the holy gospel according to luke glory to you jesus told his disciples a parable can a blind person guide a blind person will not both fall into a pit no disciple is superior to the teacher but when fully trained every disciple will be like his teacher why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own how can you say to your brother brother let me remove that splinter in your eye when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye you hypocrite remove the wooden beam from your eye first then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye a good tree does not bear rotten fruit nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit for every tree is known by its own fruit for people do not pig pick figs from thorn bushes nor do they gather grapes from brambles 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 for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks the gospel of the lord praise you lord good morning my sisters and my brothers before i begin with my homily this morning i'd like to uh this morning uh ask our we have in our presence this morning candidates for our rcia for their journey uh to be fully initiated in the catholic church i would like you to please stand for a second so we can acknowledge your presence here today i think we have four of them and marisol their catechist let's give them a big hand here this morning [Applause] thank you for coming today very soon you are invited to go with uh literally thousands of other candidates in the archdiocese to the cathedral to be with archbishop gomez to receive his special blessing please be seated thank you for coming uh and i would ask all of us to continue to pray for our candidates from our parish and for all of the candidates in the archdiocese as they uh come to really know who jesus is in their hearts my sisters and my brothers the readings this week challenge us but they invite us as father modesto told us here at the beginning of the mass but i was thinking this it's so obvious we we think that of other people don't we no not the people themselves exactly but rather something about them we see somebody wearing maybe some an unflattering color in their hair that happens to be kind of like the style here do they not know really how bad it looks it's it's obvious or we see someone wearing the most hideous combinations of colors in their clothes and and can't believe that they think that they're dressed fine wow what a disaster it's so obvious or or we have to work sometimes next to someone with a serious hygiene problem or know someone who always tries to be funny but never is or or sometimes i i think we've all experienced this we stand behind somebody at the grocery store that likes to chat with the checkout person for what seems like forever even though there's a very long line all so obvious and we wonder does anyone ever let them know of course this doesn't just to apply to those outwardly superficial things it applies to more serious inconsequential ones too the the person who only says negative things the the person who whose temper makes everyone walk on eggshells the the person who no one wants to sit with at coffee because he or she dominates the conversation and never lets anyone else talk how about the parent whose behavior embarrasses their son or their daughter at his or her kids sporting events the person who always has to be right the person who who never asks others how are you doing the person who continually brags and brags and brags i think you get the idea their less than attractive behavior is so obvious and why why doesn't anyone help them see what everyone else sees so clearly why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own i i i think about this sometimes what other people recognize in me are seeing me the the things that are probably obvious to everyone else but for which i have a blind spot i i wonder what is being talked about or or mentioned each time i leave a room or a group or a home and i wonder what ends that question does he know that do i come across as having a a big ego do do people think i'm judgmental do people tell each other what a bad listener i am do people think i show favoritism to certain parishioners do people feel i hold grudges and find it difficult to forgive if only someone would let me know of course not all of our farts faults are are obvious to everyone it usually depends on the the kind or the level of relationship that we have with each other and also our our perceptions can be very misleading at times right judging that book by its cover the the deeper reality can be a little harder at times to ascertain but if most people see us in a certain way then they're probably on to something and and and we would be wise to pay attention to that that is if if those people bring it to my attention and and i think that's the rub well most of us are are not ready to receive criticism from one another even when it is given in a kind and loving way i think that's probably the wounded part of our human nature and so i guess i guess i'm out of luck i guess there there really is no one to let me know no one to point out what is hidden from me but is obvious to others or or is there and i think we all know the answer god god is the one who always sees clearly and to god all is completely obvious the good and the bad and god doesn't just perceive our faults he he knows them deeply he knows uh what beam or beams are are keeping us from seeing the world as as he sees it and loving as he loves and so that's who ultimately has to let us know that's who lovingly wants to let us know that's who passionately is trying to let us know if we let him why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye but not perceive the wooden beam in your own my sisters and my brothers a better world doesn't begin with other people doing things differently it begins with each of us doing things differently and a better world certainly doesn't come about by by going around pointing out the the faults of others hoping that that they will change no a better world starts when we change when we open our hearts to being more to to giving more to to love more and that starts with listening starts with with quieting ourselves and paying attention to the voice of god the the spirit within trying to point out what is is is obvious to everyone around us but what might not be that obvious to ourselves so today this morning i would ask that all of us stop the finger pointing let's stop uh being fixated on the faults of others let's let's simply take a moment and look in the mirror with an open heart and ask god what am i not seeing what am i not seeing this past week as i was preparing for a funeral service on wednesday i had a little extra time before going to the mass that morning and so i turned on the tv and i was shocked by what i saw on the news and i think you know what i'm talking about you know we we saw the pictures we heard the bulletins watched the reporters on tv wearing their helmets and those bright blue vests that were marked press we saw the tanks rolling into kiev and the cars lined up by the miles trying to get out of that country we saw the images of mothers desperate to leave on foot pushing their children in strollers throughout the cold we watched as artillery fire lit up that night sky in a country on the other side of the world and we heard the explosions and we felt our lips formed those words oh my god we are watching a tragic moment in history unfold before our eyes in real time we sometimes are certainly for myself i felt a sense of despair and helplessness and we see again and again those same three words that were scrolling on on facebook and on twitter as i was on my computer this week and it said pray for ukraine pray for ukraine pope francis this week has called for a worldwide day of prayer and fasting on ash wednesday asking both believers and non-believers to be united in one purpose and in one goal peace pray for peace and in our prayer we need to hold on i think to this one virtue that all of us christians can never abandon and that is hope hope that could be one of the hardest things to do especially now i think and a few years ago pope francis offered advice on teaching hope i think we we need to listen to those words and take them to heart as we stand at the threshold of lint during a time of war he said this he said work for peace among people do not listen to the voice of those who who spread hate and discord as different as they are from each other human beings were created to live together in conflicts he added be patient one day you will discover that each person is the custodian of a fragment of truth a little bit of truth love people he continued love them one by one respect everyone's journey because everyone has their story to tell the holy father concluded with this he said jesus has given us a light that shines in the darkness defend it protect it that single light is the greatest treasure that's entrusted to you and to me in our lives when we pray for the ukraine this is what we're really praying for light light so let us pray for that light of jesus may burn brightly in in all the parts of the world that are threatened by darkness and may we work in the days to come to nurture that light in ourselves to really take a look at ourselves and see where god is in our hearts and let's bring that beautiful light to others may our lady of perpetual help intercede for the people of the ukraine today and for all of us amen [Music]

Channel: BuenaNueva TV English

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Length: 14min 17sec (857 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 27 2022