The First Reading, a passage from the Book of Sirach, is from a part of the Bible collectively known as Wisdom Literature, which offers a rich treasure trove of advice for daily living. One of the primary considerations of Wisdom Literature is prudence in speaking, as well as the damage imprudent words can do in life. I am sure we have all regretted many things we have said in unguarded moments.
Needless to say, falling into indiscreet speech is all too easy. But our culture tends to drive us even further in that social media and the entertainment industry both elevate shock value speech. The more outrageous and extreme someone gets, the more attention they receive, which can come with a financial reward.
At the same time, extreme speech can also brand a person long-term, especially if it is expressed over digital media. In biblical times, the concern was over saying rash things in the presence of other people, who could remember the ill-advised words. But today we are tempted to put things on the Internet, either in writing or in video format, sharing our words with a potentially global audience. Once something gets on the Internet, it never truly goes away. The long-term consequences can be devastating.
As the saying goes, loose lips sink ships. Or on the flip side, less said, less mended. Perhaps we could consider three principles before sharing our words (principles that I certainly wish that I had always borne in mind before communicating): Does what I am about to say serve God? Does it build people up? Is it a reflection of my love of Christ? I know that if I had always paused to reflect on these principles before speaking, my life would have unfolded a lot more smoothly at times.
While the First Reading deals with imprudence, the Gospel reading for this Sunday considers the sin of hypocrisy. In the passage, Jesus engages in a literary technique called hyperbole, which is a deliberate exaggeration in order to make a point. In American culture today, hyperbole is used especially by teens and young adults but is not as common in adult discourse. However, in the culture of Jesus, hyperbole was a regular means of communicating.
When Jesus talks about noticing the splinter in our brother's eye but not seeing the wooden beam in our own, he is highlighting how wrong it is for us to act hypocritically toward other people. Hypocrisy entails holding another person to a higher standard than ourselves, condemning someone else's behavior, while being oblivious to or making excuses for our own failings.
When we judge others, we also try to usurp God's role as judge of humanity. God has the right to judge because he is our Creator and he is all good and all-knowing. But we are finite and sinful. We need to be seeking God's mercy rather than casting judgment on others. Another consideration too is that when we feel deeply judgmental toward someone, we are often reacting to qualities that we do not like in ourselves. So if I react very negatively to someone, I need to ask myself, what does this situation tell me about myself?
The Gospel passage for this Sunday also deals with self-perception. Jesus tells us that our true character is shown by our actions. We might have a very positive view of ourselves, but our actions might tell a different story. Conversely, if we suffer from profoundly low self-esteem, we might think deeply negatively of ourselves, but our actions might show a far more positive picture.
One of the many benefits of the Sacrament of Penance is the practice of saying our sins out loud to another person. Listing our sins verbally gives us a sense of accountability, a reality check in the face of our self-perception. At the same time, a therapeutic technique for those who suffer from self-loathing is to get them to list their good actions to show them the reality of who they are. Our actions reflect the truth about ourselves. One good exercise is to make a chart of how we spend our discretionary income and our discretionary time. That will reveal what we really value in life.
In terms of sin, the Second Reading hints at the relationship between sin and the biblical law. Biblical law leads us toward God, into the life that God offers us. But without a relationship with God, the law will seem like a burden. If we do not see why the law is important, we easily fall into sin by breaking the law, which then takes us away from life. Many Israelites fell into this trap. They lost sight of the relationship with God toward which the law was guiding them, and thereby they came to see the law as a burden to carry, rather than as something life-giving.
The fullness of our relationship with God comes through Christ. Many of the laws enumerated in the Old Testament were a preparation for Christ, so these laws are no longer needed now that Christ has come. At the same time, other Old Testament laws reflected unchanging truths and values and were reinforced by Christ. These laws are still very much binding on us today.
As we see in the Second Reading, through his self-sacrifice, Christ undid one of the primary consequences of sin - the death of the body. Through the sacrifice of Christ, we are offered eternal life spiritually. Also, through Christ our body too will be raised and returned to life in a perfected, incorruptible form. Through Christ both our body and soul will live eternally.
Some of the words of the Second Reading were beautifully put to music by George Frideric Handel in his majestic work The Messiah. But more beautiful still is the reality of what awaits us through Christ in the next life. As St. Paul put it in his First Letter to the Corinthians: "’What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,’ this God has revealed to us through the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
||
The readings for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C are:
Sirach 27:4-7
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: The Sea of Galilee (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.