Sir. 27:4-7; Ps. 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 Cor. 15:54-58; Lk. 6:39-45
“The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.” Where is the law? “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). The law is the word of God. It is given to us in the ten Commandments, in the teaching of Jesus, in the natural law of creation, planted into the heart of the believer by God. The law is always present to give power in order to produce the good fruit through obedience to the law but sin came into the world through disobedience and the world is filled with rotten fruit.
“For every tree is known by its own fruit.” What is in the heart is revealed in the tongue clothed in either corruptibility or incorruptibility, in the sting of death through sin or “swallowed up in victory’ for immortality. Guard the tongue from sin that remains in the heart until the sin of vice is conquered by the virtue of the law. Pride is conquered by humility, lust by chastity, wrath with kindness, gluttony with temperance, sloth with diligence, greed with charity, and envy with patience. This is what we believe is our life journey of purification from sin to take this opportunity and be cleansed of our sins for the greater victory of immortality.
Old age has a way of creeping up on life like a “sieve” shaken and revealing if our husk is good fruit “vigorous and sturdy” or rotten at the core from a life of sin. God in his mercy allows for the soul who has rotted from sin to receive forgiveness but forgiveness is the beginning of the purification process that if not gained in this life comes from the state of purgatory with its fire and justice as the potter molds us in the furnace. For the one who says, “God will forgive me and I will go to heaven” don’t be surprised if at death when all truth is revealed that God’s forgiveness in his promise of heaven comes through his mercy by way of purgatory. The justice of the Lord is the cleansing of any stain of sin for heaven is for the pure of heart, perfect in love, and fruitful in service. Are we there yet or is God still working on us?
We have a small dog who loves to go outside and roll in the grass. He also likes to chase birds and if he could we would run into the lake behind our house. No matter how much we love Trigger he is not allowed into the house dirty and smelly. He has to be cleaned first. In the same way we cannot enter into the house of the Lord dirty from sin. Our cleansing must come first in this life or in purgatory for nothing impure can be with the purity of love and God is love.
“Tribulation is the test of the just” and this day the world is in tribulation. The sins of the world in a culture of death have risen from death to the unborn; death to religion in the public square; death to the biology of the body in sexual identity; death to free speech against the mantra of public opinion; death to humanity in genetic manipulation to create life in a test tube. While the culture war battles itself there are those who seek to gain power by violence in the streets, violence in the name of religion, and violence by weapons of destruction. As one nation rises against another the test of the just will be a reminder that when one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers.
The voice of freedom must respond for the just. From the call of Pope Francis for prayer and fasting for peace to the action of leaders to recognize evil and not be weak but stand for truth and justice by the authority entrusted to them. We all have the power of prayer. We all can make a sacrifice as an offering for peace. Lent is coming upon us and this is the moment to make an offering of sacrifice for an end to war, an end to hate, a victory for peace before it spirals out of control. The evil one has unleased his power taken possession of the souls of the weak who are filled with vices.
Every soul has power and strength grows in times of tribulation as we sacrifice for a greater good and the sting of “death is swallowed up in victory”. Victory comes “through our lord Jesus Christ” as we dedicate ourselves to “the work of the Lord” in whatever state of life we have been called to serve. The work of the Lord is for everyone beginning with prayer that leads to action. Pray and God will reveal the action needed of each of us and we need not to fear for God is with us and who can be against us. Part of our mission is to be ready for the attack to come. We are to prepare our children not just with an understanding of evil but with the faith, hope and love to fear not and be ready for the Lord comes. He is our consolation and this world is but a passing moment in God’s plan of salvation.
In war there are many casualties but also many martyrs who do not fear death but believe in a just cause. Jesus is the just cause in who we must believe and trust. He died for us that we may live for immortality. The early church suffered many martyrs and persecution but with each death the number of followers only grew and we have received the inheritance of faith and freedom. May we have the same love to live for the just cause our Lord has given us to fulfill the law of love, the law of the Word, the natural law, and the law of freedom. Freedom is not free and without casualty but the victory has been won by Jesus and we are called to follow him.
Freedom begins in the mind of the believer where the battlefield is fought against the enemy. The natural law is in the science of truth as a creation of God. The law of the Word is in the incarnation born to set us free from slavery where we are invited to join him by baptism. The law of love is in the heart with the generosity to respond to the call to be the best God created us to be. This is how we clothe ourselves with incorruptibility and the sting of death is “swallowed up in victory”.
Tribulation reveals who is “planted in the house of the Lord” and who languishes in the world. In tribulation “the just one…shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy…declaring how just is the Lord, my rock”. Our justice is from the Lord so be not afraid when tribulation comes and the roaring waves of war, disease, and destruction is all around us. Keep bearing fruit and trust in the Lord for even the sting of death is not the end but the beginning of a greater glory.
Tribulation in life reveals what is in the heart of a person. The gospel today reminds us how easy it is to be blinded by tribulation and begin to notice the splinter in everyone’s eyes. It is easier to blame than to accept responsibility or recognize how did we contribute to the problem. God’s reminder to remove the sin of our lives before we look into the sin of others is so we may see clearly and recognize the fruit we are consuming that is good and not rotten. There is a lot of rotten fruit the world that is feeding us. “Fake news”, half-truth, justified behavior for killing are all part of the menu. Pontius Pilate asked Jesus what is truth? Jesus says by their fruit you shall know. Jesus was killed to protect the institution that felt threatened by his ministry even as he preached the love of God. Today there are many institutions who would rather enter into the culture of death than into the dialogue for life. The fruit of the means does not justify the end and if the fruit is rotten and evil then it comes from the heart of an evil person.
The fruit of the evil one creates division, confusion and the sting of death. The fruit of “a good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good” with right thoughts, right speech, and right action. Let us keep in mind that “one’s speech disclose(s) the bent of one’s mind” and our mind must be well trained in the way of the Lord. Speak the word of God with faith, hope, and love. Pray for those who belong to the culture of death and are waging war against humanity. Let us stay focused on the work of the Lord. Let us be ready and recall the sacrifice of love by Jesus, by his disciples, and it is our turn now. Lord may your love be in our hearts and word on our lips that we may proclaim your glory for ever and ever, Amen.
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