Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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February 25, 2022February 27, 2022
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sir 27:4-7
1 Cor 15:54-58
Lk 6:39-45
GROW AS A DISCIPLE | PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE
GROW: Parenthood can be humbling. When our children are young, we celebrate even the tiniest accomplishments: “You put on your socks!” or “Wow, good job putting your dish in the dishwasher!” And rightly so. Then come the teen years, and some of us can err on the side of criticism. “Why did you put off that project until the last minute?” “Turn off the electronics by 10 p.m. or else …” “What, another energy drink?” (We say, looking up from our own phone with a cup of tea in hand …) The same can be said of our spiritual lives. We want our children to pray and participate in the sacraments, but we may rush through Grace before meals, skip opportunities for confession, or treat holy Mass as an afterthought. Today’s Gospel reminds us why our admonitions won’t work if we don’t walk our talk: The blind can’t lead the blind. None of us is perfect, and neither are our children or the other people in our lives. But as our second reading reminds us, Jesus has won for us victory over sin. When we ask Jesus to help us remove the “wooden beam” for our own eyes, we can see his will for us more clearly and lift up those around us.
GO EVANGELIZE | PRAYER, INVITATION, WITNESS, ACCOMPANIMENT
GO: We don’t have to be perfect to encourage one another in our faith. Like the “good tree” Jesus describes in the parable and the tree that bears “good fruit” in Sirach, however, we need to nourish our faith before we can share it with others. It can start with something as simple as adding prayer to our morning routine. We can bring our flaws, our doubts, our bad habits to Jesus and ask him to free us from whatever might be holding us back. As we accompany others, whether it is those with whom we live, work, or worship, we can turn to Jesus to help us be a force for good. We will stumble. But as St. Paul reminds us, “Be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
PRAY: Have you prayed The Examen? This Ignatian practice, often at the end of the day, encourages reflection – on God’s presence in our day and the areas where we may have fallen short. We can ask the Lord for forgiveness and the grace to do better tomorrow.
