Reflection on the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s readings are full of sound advice. The same way we wait until the pot comes out of the kiln, we listen to the whole speech. Don’t rush to judgment. Wait. Listen. Then judge. That’s Sirach.

Give thanks to God and plant ourselves in the house of God if we want to bear fruit even in old age. That’s Psalm 92.

I’m not quite sure how to follow Paul and clothe myself in incorruptibility and immortality – but I understand Paul’s call to be steadfast and fully devoted to the work of the Lord.

And Jesus does not mince words: if we are blind, we cannot lead; if we have something in our eye, we can’t see well enough to help others; if we are rotten in our core, we won’t bear fruit.

There’s a little bit of foreboding to it all. Is it too late for me to get myself planted in God’s courtyard? Too late to clothe myself in incorruptibility? No. It is not too late. What we bring to good advice is the mystery of the love of God now. We live in now. This is our moment. We can get rid of the mote and see clearly. We can choose to bear fruit.

Apparently all this advice was needed back when Sirach was preaching and the psalmist was writing poetry, when Paul was writing letters and Jesus spoke. It must have been bad back then. The people needed good advice. We take heart in that those folks all pulled through. 

Do we need new advice for our day? We see a bigger world. We are capable of doing more – for better or worse. No, I don’t think we need new words. The same way the advice of our kindergarten teacher holds true – hold hands when you cross the street – so do the words of Sirach and Paul and Jesus. It’s good advice. Times are bad now, but times have been bad before now. Today’s readings do speak for themselves, simply and directly. It’s our job to pull our socks up, take the beam out of our eye and do God’s work. In the words of the Beatles, all we need is love.