Homily for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Homily preached by Fr Nicholas King SJ
Scripture readings: Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8; I Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45
We are at war, it seems. And what is our task in such a situation? It is not necessarily that of administering blame and pointing the finger, though that may be easy enough. Our task today is to listen out for God’s voice, and see how God invites us to respond.
How are we to do this? As usual, let's consult today's readings: what they seem to be inviting us to do, is to look for what is the Real Thing. There is a huge thirst in our world for the Real Thing, a longing to find integrity, especially in our leaders and our celebrities. The first reading offers three images: a sieve, which filters out that which is not authentic; then a pottery kiln, which hardens clay, but also reveals cracks; and finally the fruit that comes from a tree. As Jesus says in today's gospel, good trees produce good fruit. Let us listen out for the voice of authenticity and those who today and in the weeks to come will talk to us about the events and implications of this sad and destructive war.
That same longing for integrity is there in today's psalm: “it is good to give you thanks, O Lord”. Then there is that very telling image: “the just shall flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar of Lebanon”; the poet looks forward to what they will produce: “still bearing fruit when they are old, to proclaim that the Lord is just”. This is what you and I are longing for today, the unmistakable voice of the authenticity of God. Why not ask today if you hear that voice in those who talk to you about this war?
The second reading is almost at the end of Paul talking about Resurrection, as he has been doing for some weeks now. Here the “longing for the real thing” is quite evident; he expresses it in terms of “perishability” and “imperishability”, “mortality” and “immortality”. If we get it right, then we shall be able to gloat over Death as Paul does: “Where, Death is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” Our task, as he says, is to thank God for the victory, but notice where it comes from: “through our Lord Jesus Christ”. That is why at the end he can say “never give in… never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord’s work”. do you see how this speaks to our longing for integrity and authenticity?
The gospel likewise speaks to this longing, which is more important than ever, given the outbreak of war. Blind guides, as Jesus gently points out, are dangerous, and likely to fall into a pit, and drag us in after them; similarly, and there is a touch of comedy here, we cannot possibly extract a splinter from a brother’s eye, if we have a huge great plank in our own. This may be something to remind ourselves of if we feel called to pontificate on the present war, or indeed any feature of our present situation.
And then Jesus returns to the image from our first reading about good trees and bad fruit: “there is no such thing”, he says, “as a good tree that produces rotten fruit”; there's a little joke to make his Galilean audience laugh: “you don't get figs from thorn trees, nor grapes from brambles”. What counts is the integrity we long for as we listen to politicians and to journalists and to the military and to all other commentators: “a person speaks out of the abundance of his heart”: is this person I am currently listening to, the real thing or not?
What is God saying to you, today?