Saturday, March 1, 2025

Time for A Spiritual Vision Checkup!

 

Homily for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, March 1, 2025. Gospel of St. Luke 6:39-45. Theme: Time for A Spiritual Vision Checkup! 

 The three major world religions each have a particular passage taken from their holy books which expresses the central teaching of their faith and who they are as a people. One could say it’s a kind of “mission statement” as to how they live out the faith that they profess with their lips. And each of them also have a special time of year particularly devoted to entering deeper into their faith by prayer and repentance, renewing their commitment to God as they understand Him. 

 The mission statement of Judaism, for example, is expressed in the Shema, a prayer that begins with: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone…” and then it goes on to remind the Jews of their obligations to God. And every year - from Rosh Shanna to Yom Kippur - the Jewish people observe 10 days of reflection on how they have lived out their relationship with God. 

 Islam’s mission statement is called the Shahada, which is a very short profession of faith that declares: “There is only one God and only one prophet of God, Mohammed.” Their penitential time of year is the month-long Fast of Ramadan, which calls the Muslim people to submit themselves to spiritual purification. 

 What about Christianity? Our mission statement is taken directly from the lips of Christ and we call it the Great Commandment because that’s what Jesus called it: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” The Great Commandment expresses the very core teaching of the Lord and therefore, it should be enshrined in the heart of every Christian. 

 The collection of short sayings of Jesus in today’s Gospel summon us to refocus our spiritual vision; to examine our interactions with others to see how authentically we are living our mission statement of observing the Great Commandment of Love. 

 Jesus says the bind cannot lead the blind…how is our spiritual eyesight? Are we trying to see life from God’s point of view by reading the Scriptures and pondering them in our hearts? Try reading the Word of God a bit more this Lent to refocus your spiritual vision. 

 Jesus says to remove the beam from our own eye …do we know what constitutes that beam in our eye? That is, are we aware of what behavior or attitude is blocking us from loving God with all that we are and from loving our neighbor as ourselves? Start making a review of the day before you go to sleep. Evaluate where you succeeded and where you need to improve in living as a Christian. 

 Jesus says that what we cherish in our hearts is what will really guide our decisions and actions…So, let’s ask ourselves with gut-honesty: do we hold the Great Commandment of Love as the treasure of our hearts? Is it guiding our relationships? 

Try doing the following simple spiritual practice this Lent: Memorize the Great Commandment and recite it twice a day throughout Lent, so as to enshrine it in your heart. Recite it first thing in the morning to remind you to make choices consistent with your faith. Then repeat it at night as a way to review your day to see where it was lived well and where improvement is needed by God’s grace. 

 This simple program of recalling and repeating the Great Commandment can help keep our mission in mind and remind us to put concrete acts of love into practice throughout the day. This is particularly challenging for us when dealing with people who are regulars in our everyday lives as St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: “It is easy to love the people who are far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give food to relieve the hunger of a stranger, than it is to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved among our own family. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”



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