​Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, February 27, 2022 (EPISODE: 352)

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, February 27, 2022
(EPISODE: 352)

Readings for Sunday, February 27, 2022 - Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
FIRST READING: Sirach 27:4-7
Psalm 91: 2-3, 13-16. "Lord, it is good to give thanks to you"
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Philippians 2:15d+16a). Alleluia, alleluia! Shine on the world like bright stars; you are offering it the word of life. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Luke 6:39-45

Image: Shutterstock licensed Image - Item ID: 1054136807 - The Cross of Jesus with White Garment
Contributor:  - Rick Schroeppel
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, February 27, 2022, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-eighth-sunday-of-ordinary-time-year-c-episode-352?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing  (EPISODE: 352)
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*Prologue (Fr Paul Kelly)
A Seventeenth-Century French writer with quite an unpronounceable name has some very interesting quotes that fit with this weekend's readings........ 
 
"If we had no faults, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others."
 
"(most) faults (are) more pardonable than the means by which one tries to hide them."
 
"We gain more by letting our real selves be seen than by pretending to be what we are not."   François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, (1613 –1680)
 
Also,
Inspired by the gospel today, I have long felt that "unless one can say something out of love, (motivated by compassion and goodwill), any intended correction that we might be tempted to offer to another will miss the mark." That is to say, "if one cannot say something with love and compassion, don't say it at all."  And so, we have no right to criticize unless we ourselves are free of faults. Which simply means that we have no right to criticize. If we happen to be intent on fixing up faults and weaknesses, we would be much more productive by inviting Christ to pour his healing and challenging grace upon our own sins and omissions, rather than focusing first upon others. There is plenty to work on right within our own heart, mind and soul.
 
Jesus warned that no teacher can lead their students beyond the stage which they themselves have reached.  Our Lord is teaching us that he deeply desires that anyone who follows him, needs to become a true teacher by example first; that is, by being a very attentive and open-hearted student of Him and His ways.   He makes it clear that we cannot be true disciples unless our closeness to his teachings leads to us becoming more and more like him in thought, word, and action.  This is because Christ desires us to be teachers by example; modelling our lives and priorities on his.  This requires us to be really alert, attentive and be self-aware -   open enough and humble so as to notice and address the areas of spiritual blindness that we all can suffer from. Lest we foolishly try to lead people; only for both leader and follower to fall into a hole.
 
Speaking the words of Christ could very well have limited effect if our everyday actions and attitudes contradict them and drown them out.  The loudest, most effective message we send is most often by the unspoken eloquence of our actions and priorities.
 
And surely, the best way to show the truth and primacy of Christianity is to show by our lives that actively following in the footsteps of Jesus, produces outstanding men and women. - compassionate, reverent, generous, loving, gentle, just, inclusive and merciful.
 
The fruits and results of our lives and what we say and where we spend most of our time and energy is a powerful revelation of where our heart truly lies...   Our Lord so wisely pointed out that nothing speaks louder about the truth of a person than what they do and say in unguarded moments.  " few things show the state of a person's heart better than the words SPOKEN, when talking freely, unguardedly, and saying the first things that come into ones' head."
 
When our hearts are very close to Our Lord's, the unguarded and surprising moments in life will still lead to a pouring forth of the fruits of the spirit, lying so close to the surface….love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.
 
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Homily (Fr Peter Dillon)
There was a time when people in business would be proud to say "My word is my bond". Once they had given their word on a transaction, then it was considered binding. Sometimes all it took was a handshake, no paperwork or expensive contracts. Sadly today such a simple arrangement is no longer sensible even for the most ordinary of deals. People seem to need something solid to seal the deal. A deposit, an escape clause or a default condition at the very least. While it might be prudent to have such guarantees, it does feed a suspicion we have when doing business, even with people we know.

What seems to be missing these days is the quality called 'integrity'. That understanding of wholeness, of being complete, not being divided in any way. It also means being well-rounded as well as practical, sturdy, rational and realistic. It's an excellent quality to possess, but sadly frequently lacking in the world of commerce these days.

At its core it is an uncompromising adherence to a code of morals or other values, being sincere and honest. While it is not something we openly advertise about ourselves, our integrity becomes evident clear to others through our relationships and interactions, essentially letting others know that we can be trusted not to be duplicitous, deceptive or shallow.

Today's Gospel draws the essence of integrity together in three separate sayings which are part of what we now call Luke's "Sermon on the Plains", which although shorter than Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount", has a list of short "one-liners" challenging the listener the test the integrity of oneself as well as having a positive judgment of others.

The three sayings have to do with the blind leading the blind, seeing the splinter in our companion's eye and a good tree and its fruit.

He applies these principles in three areas. For one thing, he reminds his listeners that there is not much point in a leader trying to lead others until they have been there themselves. Then he reminds us that we ought to have enough integrity to see both ourselves and others honestly, without bias.

His mention of the splinter in our own eye is encapsulated in the old saying that there is so much bad in the best of us and so much good in the worst of us that it is pointless to talk about the rest of us. To the disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores their own is a 'hypocrite', a term he usually reserves for the scribes and Pharisees.

While our criticism of others may often be true, telling the truth about others is rarely a sufficient recommendation in itself – the process may be little more than scapegoating, and at the end of that process we usually end up with a victim, not a convert. If we really want people to pay attention to what we have to say, then we should be aware of our own shortcomings and that any criticism that we might present does not emerge from self-righteousness.

So if our words flow from what fills our heart, as Jesus suggests, then that kind of heart is behind the way we criticise others? It is has been said that "they have a right to censure who have the heart to help". When people know that our heart is behind our censure and that what we say comes from a genuine attempt to help them, they might take heed. Unless goodness is at the heart of what we say of others then we would do well to keep silent.

Sharing the goodness in our hearts does not always guarantee that others will greet our criticisms with applause. People might rightly wonder if we are critical of others to them, what we might be saying about them to others. A sword edged sword, if you will.

The final test of integrity is our ability to be able to be honest with ourselves. When no one is looking or listening, are we honestly able to say our intentions are noble and our values honourable?

As the poem says:
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that one has to say.
For it isn't your mother or father or spouse
Who judgment upon you must pass:
The person whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
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References:

prologue by Fr Paul W. Kelly

Homily by fr peter Dillon

Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of Luke. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press;

Link, Mark J. 1994. Action 2000 Praying Scripture In A Contemporary Way. Year C. Allen, Tex.: Tabor Pub;

François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, (1613 –1680).   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_La_Rochefoucauld_(write)  ).

Image: Shutterstock licensed Image - Item ID: 1054136807 - The Cross of Jesus with White Garment
Contributor:  - Rick Schroeppel




Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C  (Sunday, February 27, 2022)  (EPISODE:  352)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{May Our Lord's care, comfort you}}

Brothers and sisters, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord,s supper, let us recall our sins and acknowledge them in silence.
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy.// You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy. //You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Psalm 91: 2-3, 13-16. "Lord, it is good to give thanks to you"

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Philippians 2:15d+16a). Alleluia, alleluia! Shine on the world like bright stars; you are offering it the word of life. Alleluia!

Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary II
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side.  pwk:  LH
(theme variation: v2 )
(pre+post variation: v1-short)
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{I gratefully acknowledge and give thanks to God for your prayers at this time of prayer and reflection upon our God.}

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants  — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009,  The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful -   " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'.   E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -  By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria,  Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of  William John Kelly -     Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

Sound Engineering and editing -  P.W. Kelly.

Microphones: -      RODE-NT-USB-mini

Editing equipment:    NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44

Sound Processing:  iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor

[Production -  KER -  2022]
May God bless and keep you.
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