Sunday - February 27, 2022
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”
--St. Augustine
TODAY'S READINGS
EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 84
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do one’s faults when one speaks.
As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
so in tribulation is the test of the just.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind.
Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested.
Responsorial Psalm
R (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
When this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, 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 brothers and sisters,
be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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 pick figs from thornbushes,
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.”
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THE 4 LIES THAT HAVE RUINED LIVES
A blind person, in the analogy that Jesus makes in this Sunday's Gospel reading, is anyone who cannot see things in the light of truth. It can be due to sin or ignorance, but it's always dangerous. There are many wrong decisions that we bump into when we don't see things the way God sees them. We make mistakes that hurt us and others. We feel safe with temptations that lead us away from God.
Here are four popular lies that are ruining lives by leading people into spiritual blindness, followed by the truths that everyone needs to know.
1. Your happiness is the most important goal. To achieve it:
2. Put yourself first.
3. Trust your feelings.
4. If you dream it, you can have it.
This never works. Happiness is elusive or, at best, short. So people try even harder, stuck in the trap of these lies. When it still doesn't work, they get rightfully angry, but at others, blaming others. Conflicts worsen. Anger increases. Violence is the eventual outcome, and spiritual hell.
The only way that does work is what Jesus revealed.
1. Happiness is based on externals, which you cannot control very long. Joy, on the other hand, comes from within and is discovered when you understand that God loves you so much that he gave you his only begotten Son to conquer evil and lead you to the eternal joy of heaven.
2. When you lay down your life for others, you experience fulfillment from making a difference, and this is a great joy. And it unites you to Christ, bringing heaven to earth.
3. Realize your natural tendency to sin and the limitations of your finite brain, which make it easy to misinterpret everything. Do not trust your own understanding. Feelings can change quickly. Receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit so you can discern God's guidance. Trust only God.
4. When you seek to know God's dreams for you, you develop good vision. You discover which talents, knowledge, and experiences will give you your greatest fulfillment, because he had these in mind when he created you. And when you work hard to make these dreams come true, forsaking distractions, persisting past obstacles, and accepting the lessons that are hidden in hardships, you realize the best that life can offer.
Today's Prayer
Beloved Jesus, help me to know myself in such a way that I can recognize my weaknesses, and with Your help, multiply my strengths. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
