Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

Jesus the Teacher presents lessons as insightful today as they were when he taught his disciples two thousand years ago. In a few days we will be beginning the season of Lent, when we will be reminded of the lessons Jesus taught us as he anticipated his eventual death. But today we hear Jesus in the course of his ministry teaching everyday wisdom for ordinary times in our lives. As we transition from Ordinary Time to Lent, let us relearn the lessons that guide us at any time of the year.
 

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word

The practice of using aphorisms and proverbs to teach a collected wisdom to the world at large did not begin with witty memes and random tweets! This practice was used in wisdom literature, which began thousands of years ago. Today we are treated to some wonderful examples. Sirach writes some snappy lines about how what we say reveals our true self. Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that Christ changed the meaning of death. Jesus teaches his disciples lessons that can be applied to anyone’s life. May we find the wise words we hear today worthy of a retweet or two.
 

Reflections

• It’s timely that today we hear Jesus use the word “hypocrite” when teaching his disciples, for we will hear him say that word again and repeatedly in Ash Wednesday’s Gospel. There is something very distasteful about pretending to be something that you’re not, whether it’s pretending to be a better person than you really are or refusing to see your own flaws. Further, the hypocrite imagines that everyone else must be faking it just as they are, so rationalizes that they are doing just what everyone else does. In fact, they are happy to find bona fide splinters in others’ eyes, for, blinded by their own pride, they confirm their apparent superiority. Let us learn the lesson a few days early: Hypocrisy blinds us to both the goodness in others and the flaws in ourselves.

• On the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples that he was the vine and they were the branches and that they would bear much fruit if they remained in him and he in them. Jesus remains in us as well and if we remain in him, if we remain committed disciples, we too can bear much fruit. Sirach tells us that fruit we bear shows the care we’ve had. Let us nurture the Lord’s care and bear the kind of fruit that helps grow the kingdom and shows the goodness in our hearts.

• None of us want to bear rotten fruit, but do we realize that avoiding doing so is not enough? How many of us are actually bearing no fruit at all? Have we produced something good and valuable over the last week that we have generously given to someone else? Let us do more than avoid bearing rotten fruit. May we produce fruit that causes our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and strangers to appreciate what we generously provide.
 

Question of the Week

What can I do this Lent to bear fruit more fully in the world?

-from Pastoral Patterns