Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
When I was a Novice, a person who is in a prayer-and-study-focused stage of formation in a religious congregation, with the Marianist Sisters, I learned that one way to reflect on the Gospel readings is to fill in the blank: “Jesus is telling me (us) ____.” I will follow suit and say that Jesus is telling us to bear good fruit and to build a solid foundation.
What does this mean? Jesus says, “Every tree is known by its own fruit…. A good person out of the store of goodness in his [or her] heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil,” (Luke 6:44-45). It’s interesting that He uses the language of gardening and implies that goodness is cultivated. How do we cultivate goodness in our lives? As disciples of Jesus, does what we say and do, our presence to others, what we choose to watch and listen, and how we use our emotions and imagination speak goodness and Christ?
Then what does building a solid foundation mean? Jesus explains, “’I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man [or woman] building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock,’” (Luke 6:47-48). A strong foundation comes from following Jesus by listening to Him and reflecting those words with our actions.
The first reading and the psalm give insight into what goes into building this foundation or cultivation. St. Paul wrote to Timothy that because of God’s mercy toward him, the patience and love of Jesus Christ is shown to others. The Responsorial Psalm responds by praising God’s mercy especially for the poor and marginalized. The readings challenge us to reflect where and in whom we are rooting ourselves. If we root ourselves in God, then God’s love will be shown to others by our lives. How is God calling you to do that?
- Sr. Emily Sandoval, FMI