8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: The grace of God empowers us to lovingly respond to Christ’s calling.
Theme: We lovingly respond to Christ’s calling when we store goodness in our heart.
Promise: “They shall bear fruit even in old age, vigorous and sturdy shall they be.” (Ps 92:15)
Reflection:
On this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus describes the disposition of a good person with a well-meaning and unpretentious heart. He brings light to those who are in darkness and leads them to the right direction to avoid pitfalls. A good person is receptive to change; he is teachable as he aims to be like the teacher to gain knowledge from him and share in his learnings. A good person humbly accepts his shortcomings before correcting the wrongdoings of others. He bears good fruit and speaks truthfully from the fullness of his heart. His heart is filled with gratitude and a grateful heart possesses inner peace and joy.
As we respond to Christ’s calling to be good, we endeavor to build a character that enables us to store goodness in our heart. Goodness is a distinct gesture of obeying the Lord’s command to love God above all and to love our neighbor in the same way that we love ourselves. It is a trait that needs to be developed and sustained so that it comes out spontaneously in everything we think, say and do. Living a spiritual life allows goodness to be nurtured within us.
Our goodness is constantly put to the test in the challenges we encounter in our daily life. We are always reminded to refresh our spirit whenever we fall short of being kind and good to others. We need to persevere in preserving our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ to be able to stand firm when confronted with trials and difficulties that hinders us from manifesting the character of a good person.
We are blessed to be in a community where we find valuable and rich resources that help us cultivate goodness and kindness in our heart. The retreats and encounters we attended are instrumental in mending our relationship with our loved ones as we implore God’s presence to guide us. We participated in the formation programs to mold our spiritual well-being. It is through the formation process that we learn to grow in love with God and allow us to feel His infinite mercy and compassion. We were renewed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, receiving spiritual gifts that enabled us to be transformed into matured Christians empowered to evangelize and do mission works.
The mission sites are fertile grounds for bringing people closer to God. They are ideal venues to put into action the goodness stored in our hearts as we share our time, talent and treasure. We are impelled to give ourselves and look after the needs of others as we take care of our own needs. As we work to fill their temporal and spiritual needs, we feel the love of God flowing through us.
It is equally essential to recharge our heart spiritually as we commit to fulfill our duties to regularly attend community prayer meetings and worship, render service to our assigned ministry, join bible sharing circle and to be immersed in the word of God. Our persevering effort to be always present in these sessions will enrich our knowledge in sharing the Good News of the Lord.
When we treasure goodness in our heart and love God with all our heart, mind and soul, we can be assured of God’s promise in Psalm 92:15, “They shall bear fruit even in old age, vigorous and sturdy shall they be.”
Prayer
Lord, we offer our heart to you. Make it a vessel of Your love and fill it with Your tender mercies and loving kindness. Cause Your love to flow through us as we share the goodness of our heart to others. May they feel the joy of Your grace while we share Your compassionate love for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- What is the spiritual condition of your heart? Do you nurture kindness more than any negative thoughts?
- Do you display kindness all the time? How much goodness can you readily share with others?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
February 27, 2022 (Sun) – Sir 27:4-7/ Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16/ 1 Cor 15:54-58/ Lk 6:39-45
February 28, 2022 (Mon) – 1 Pt 1:3-9/ Ps 111:1-2, 5-6, 9, 10/ Mk 10:17-27
March 1, 2022 (Tue) – 1 Pt 1:10-16/ Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4/ Mk 10:28-31
March 2, 2022 (Wed) – Jl 2:12-18/ Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17/ 2 Cor 5:20 – 6:2/ Mt. 6:1-6, 16-18
March 3, 2022 (Thu) – Dt 30:15-20/ Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6/ Lk 9:22-25
March 4, 2022 (Fri) – Is 58:1-9a/ Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 18-19/ Mt 9:14-15
March 5, 2022 (Sat) – Is 58: 9b-14/ Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6/ Lk 5:27-32
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
