1st Reading, Sirach 27:4-7; 2nd Reading, 1 Cor. 15:54-58; Gospel, Luke 6:39-45
Dear brothers and sisters, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
A BLIND PERSON CAN NOT LEAD A BLIND PERSON
The messages of today's readings are diverse. First, in the Gospel, Jesus starts by asking, "Can a blind person guide a blind person?" Both, of course, will have the consequence of falling into a ditch. Blindness should not be seen or taken literally in this context. Blindness has often been used as a metaphor for a lack in one's life, an absence of light in one's body, a sign of darkness in one's soul, or a lack of knowledge or ignorance.
Conversely, having the ability to see is used in a metaphoric sense, too. To see is to bring light to the body, illuminate the soul, be enlightened, possess knowledge, and have the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ's teaching implies that one who is ignorant, lacks knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and who is spiritually impoverished hasn't the capability to lead others. If they do, they can only lead them to doom. The old Latin adage says, "nemo dat quod non habet," which translates as "no one gives what they do not have." But who are those who are not blind? Who are those who can lead others? Who are those who possess knowledge? The Children of God who have been fed with the Word of God and the Word of Life are those charged with the great responsibility of leading and teaching others. Because they have been tutored in the ways of the Lord, they are expected to lead by example and bear good fruits, not rotten fruits.
WHAT FRUITS DO WE PRODUCE?
We are Children of God. It is important that we look into our lives as Children of God and ask ourselves, how are we living up to our expectations? How are we leading others to the truth? What fruits are we producing? What are the fruits of our hearts? Are the fruits of our hearts good or bad? Do we harbor evil thoughts and hatred on people? Do we bear a grudge and refuse to forgive? Do we nurture thoughts and brood ideas of committing evil and atrocities? Do we conspire to plan evil and murderous acts and indulge in unholy acts of adultery, thuggery, blasphemy, and indecent conversations? The Bible has made us understand that there is a correlation between the fruits of our hearts, the product of our thoughts, and the words of our mouths. Simply put, "from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks." The Sage, Ben Sira, also says, "One's speech discloses the bent of one's mind (heart)" (Sirach 27:6), as we read in the first reading.
It is worthwhile to follow the admonition of the scripture and have enough goodness in our repository. If we have goodness stored in our hearts, we then produce goodness in our words and deeds. But if we hold and keep evil in our hearts, we will definitely produce evil. Always remember that Jesus loves you.