FIRST READING
“Do not praise a man before you hear him speak.”
A reading from the Book of Sirach (Sirach 27; 4-7)
When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains; so a man’s filth remains in his thoughts. The kiln tests the potter’s vessels; so the test of just men is in tribulation. The fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; so the expression of a thought discloses the cultivation of a man’s mind. Do not praise a man before you hear him speak, for this is the test of men.
The word of the Lord
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 92: 1-2. 12-13.14-15 (R. see 1a)
R/. It is good to give thanks to you, O Lord
It is good to give thanks to you,
O Lord. to make music to your name,
O Most High, to proclaim your loving mercy in the morning,
and your truth in the watches of the night. R/.
The just will flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God. R/.
R/. It is good to give thanks to you, O Lord.
They will still bear fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is upright.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong. R/.
SECOND READING
“He gave the victory to us through Jesus Christ.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15: 54-58)
Brethren: When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
The word of the Lord
ALLELUIA Philippians 2: 15d-16a
Alleluia. You will shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. Alleluia
GOSPEL
“Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 6:39-45)
At that time: Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye, ’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
What we say and what we do testify to who we are. What we say, especially about another person, says much more about us than about the other. It reveals our thoughts and values, our attitude and disposition, our motivation and preferences, our way of perceiving and judging. While the first reading invites us to be careful and cautious about the words that come out of our mouth, the Gospel urges us to examine ourselves first and, in speaking about others, to exercise the same magnanimity and compassion we expect for ourselves. It involves a transformation of attitude: from passing judgment and condemning to showing understanding, love and care. Every Eucharistic celebration reminds us, as the second reading assures us, that in Jesus Christ. God has overturned and overcome condemnation and death and opened for us the door of his mercy and love. His invitation is open for us to accept or reject