EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C - Gospel (Le 6:39-45) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” (Lk 6:39)

FIRST READING - Sir 27:4-7

First reading from the Book of Sirach

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.

SECOND READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians - 1 Cor 15:54-58

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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Luke 6:39-45

From the Gospel according to Luke

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.”

EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C - Gospel (Le 6:39-45)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Today's Word of God: God the Father invites all of humanity to look into their own souls and live truthfully before God the Father and their brothers and sisters.

Kindness, mercy, love, and forgiveness, as well as fear and obedience to the will of God the Father, must be put first. Those who live far from the light and love of God the Father will enter the darkness of Satan. They will deceive many people when others are not awake to live and follow the Word of God the Father to: Love God and love others as yourself. The dark blindness that Satan brings to tempt people is a result of taking advantage of human weakness to go against the will of God the Father. Satan controls people to live in arrogance, selfishness, greed, anger, jealousy, judgment, condemnation, blaming God, and blaming each other, which causes division, hatred, and even murder.

So what should we do with all the darkness that Satan brings before our eyes? We must eliminate it from our minds and souls. Eliminate it from our actions and hearts, and replace it with gentleness, love, and forgiveness. Replace it with a heart that loves God above all things and loves our neighbors as ourselves. Do what God the Father commands, with the law of love that God the Father created and placed in the hearts of man from the beginning. Do not deliberately live in wickedness, hatred, blame, or judgment anymore! Because all are sinners before God the Father.

God the Father wants all of His children to gather together, to create unity and love, to unite and become one with each other, to be of one mind and heart, to live together and practice the commandments of God the Father.

As in today's Word of God, it teaches us a lesson about patience, love, and true forgiveness; no condemnation, no judgment, no anger, no disputes. Always recognize yourself as a sinner before God the Father and your brothers and sisters. Do all the commands that God the Father gives, and then His light, love, and grace will spread upon you. Then you will have enough strength to lead your brothers and sisters to God the Father.

God the Father invites all of His children to live sincerely with God and our brothers and sisters in our thoughts, words, and actions. Love sincerely, forgive sincerely, and walk on the path of light and grace of God the Father. Do not criticize, envy, or exclude your brothers and sisters. Do not be arrogant or conceited anymore! Do not go against the will of God the Father anymore! Instead, we should be gentle, simple, trusting and entrust ourselves to God the Father. Be merciful and patient with your brothers and sisters. Forgive and love with all your sincere heart. God did not exclude us as a sinner, so in turn, we do not exclude any miserable sinner, no matter how callous and stubborn he is. God wants us to accept all the weaknesses and stubbornnesses of our brothers and sisters as our own. Do not condemn, blame, or punish your brothers and sisters. Because, in the end, we all share the same fate of suffering in sin and illness, in weakness and fragility before God the Father. Therefore, we must run to call upon the Holy Name of God the Father to ask Him to have mercy and give us instructions so that we can live and practice according to His will. Then His happiness and love will come to reside in us so that we can come to our brothers and sisters and help them live well and holy as God desires and lead our brothers and sisters to enjoy the light and saving love of God that awaits them.

On the contrary, if each person does not know how to convert himself into a new person of God, he will not be able to lead his brothers and sisters to the light of God. For, '“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?"'

As the Lord Jesus Christ taught us today, if the log is still in your own eye, it is very dark. You cannot see the speck in your brother's eye and take it out! If your eyes are blind, you cannot lead your brothers and sisters to the light of God.

Thus, God the Father calls on all of His children to always be awake, to purify our souls and bodies, and to become pure before God the Father and our brothers and sisters. Do not condemn, do not blame, do not hate, do not envy, do not be jealous, do not quarrel, do not divide, do not compete with each other. On the other hand, you must always be patient, sacrifice, endure, and forbear with each other so that God's love and mercy are in you and others. If you cannot do what God the Father commands, you will become like the blind leading the blind, and both will fall into the pit.

Today's Word of God teaches all of God the Father's children to be alert to Satan's temptations of pride, disobedience to God the Father's will, not listening to His teachings, and stubbornness in not recognizing one's own sins while only seeing the sins of others. That is not pleasing to God the Father.

Thanks be to God. Amen

19:00 March 3rd, 2025 Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven