Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Also Read: Mass Readings for 02 March 2025 Sunday Reflection by Maryanne – 02 March 2025
“in tribulation is the test of the just” – Sirach 27:5
For every Christian who wants to keep the name, he or she should expect difficulty because virtue always makes demands and demands are uncomfortable. Because Sirach is not considered canonical in non-Catholic Christian traditions, much of the English speaking world ignores its wisdom (along with the book of Wisdom), but this is just one of many pieces of very sober-minded, practical advice that transcends time and culture. Yes, one is allowed to feel frustration or even loneliness at the difficulty of the Christian life, but with this must come the realization that it is essential to it while on earth. It does not mean that difficulties automatically mean one is living a good Christian life, sin has consequences too, but strive first to live the Christian life and do not be surprised if difficulties follow.
“when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher” – Luke 6:40
Jesus has several verses that echo this sentiment and it applies well to the first reading because we have one who is perfectly just and who still experienced tribulation. This is where the Christian’s confidence in times of adversity must come. There should be a correspondence between the imitation of Jesus in his virtues and the imitation of Jesus in his trials. The logic does not work both ways, we are not just because we struggle, but if we are just, there will be struggle.
“The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had” – Sirach 27:6
Especially in a book of practical advice like Sirach, it can become very self-focused and individualized. There is always a tension between personal and social responsibility when it comes to human action because we are made for relationship but are also moral agents. If we are the tree in this metaphor, then the care we receive comes from the wider community and the past generations that have formed us. What we produce, while it includes our essential cooperation, will be shaped by those factors as well.
“For every tree is known by its own fruit” – Luke 6:43
This ties well to the previous verse from the First Reading not just symbolically, but they also supplement each other to give the reader a fuller picture of the concept. Often, this verse taken in isolation can make the reader feel like they themselves are the problem because they are not producing the right results. However, as the above verse from Sirach shows, it is a cooperation between the tree and the care given to it. Even the tree relies on an agent outside of it. It is not an either/or situation where we just need to find the one person to blame, but a recognition of a wider circle that all must be responsible for each other’s success, both materially and spiritually.
