Please press here to listen to the homily or download
Saturday – Twenty-third Week – OT2
Readings: I Cor 10:14-22; Lk 6:43-49.
1/ First Reading: NAB 1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 18 Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 So what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I mean that what they sacrifice, (they sacrifice) to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?
2/ Gospel: NAB Luke 6:43 “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. 48 That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. 49 But the one who listens and does not act, is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
——————————————————————————————-
I. THEME: Be patient to build our house on rock.
There are two kinds of people we used to find in life: One kind of people if they want to do something, they shall do right away. They have no patience to wait and are easy to change of their plan when they don’t see immediate result. The other kind when they want to do something, they think very careful; once they begin to do, they patiently overcome all obstacles until they attain the desired result. The first kind is easy to fail while the second used to be successful.
Today readings show us also these two kinds of people in the spiritual sphere. In the first reading, St. Paul explained for the Corinthians that they can’t participate in both the Lord’s and the idols’ table because when they receive the Lord’s flesh and blood, they become one body with him. This excludes them to participate in the idols’ table. In the Gospel, Jesus compared the life of those who listen to his words and act on it as those who build their house on rock. No matter how strong of the wind or of the water, they can’t cause damage for their house. In opposition, those who hear Jesus’ words but don’t act on it as those who build their house on sand. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: One can’t participate both the Lord’s and the idols’ table.
1.1/ The Corinthians’ problem: At St. Paul’s time, Corinthians, like other Greek’s city, worshipped many gods. Each god represents a power in the universe which people can’t overcome, such as: mountain, rain, wind, thunder, earthquake, fortune and love. They believe these gods have effects on human life. When the Corinthians become Christians, they still keep their old habits of worshipping these gods though they don’t regard them as equal to God. A problem was raised up due to this old habit as we mentioned some days ago, that is, can people be permitted to eat meat which was sacrificed to idols?
To St. Paul, he doesn’t believe in gods; but believes the devil’s presence behind this worship. As a Jew, he confirmed that there are no other gods in the world except the One God, so eating the sacrificed meat isn’t a problem, except it can be dangerous for the faith of the weak. He believed the presence of devils is real and their purpose is to draw people from God’s protection by worshipping idols. When people worship idols, they refuse to worship only the One God.
1.2/ When we participate in the Lord’s table, we unite ourselves with the Lord’s Body: As mentioned before, the costume of the temples is to give back a part of the offering to the offer so that they can share with familial members and friends. When they offer offering to any god, they believe that god shall enter their offering; and when anyone eats that offering, the god shall enter their body. Therefore, when people eat offerings which were offered to gods, the one who eats, and the god have a real fellowship.
St. Paul used this belief to explain for the Corinthians about the theology of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and why people can’t worship idols: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” Therefore, the faithful cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. They cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.
2/ Gospel: The faithful must both hear and practice God’s words.
2.1/ Building a house on rock or on sand: In Palestine, though the rain season lasts only few months, but each rain is big. After the rain season, the ground becomes dried and smooth, suitable for building houses. The unexperienced shall build their house at these places because it is easy to do, and they don’t have to dug deeply into rocks. Since they aren’t foresighted, when the next rain season comes, they discover that their houses were built right on the strong currents and be swept away. In opposition, the experienced know how to find harden grounds to build their house and nothing is hardened than rocks. Though it takes time to dug but once a strong foundation is built, there is no strength can shake it and their house shall last for a long time.
In the spiritual life, the Israelites preserved the Rock for God (Ps 95:1), the Jerusalem temple (Isa 28:16) and Peter (Mt 16:19). If people want to be safe before all trials and obstacles of life, they must find their cover in God, the Temple or His Church.
Jesus likened those who heard God’s words without practicing them as those who built their house on sand. Since they aren’t practice them so that their faith can be stronger, when trials and sufferings come, their faith aren’t strong enough to overcome them. He also likened those who heard God’s words and practiced them as those who built their house on the rock. They know how to use time to meditate God’s words and to apply them in life so that their faith become stronger every day. When trials and sufferings come, they already had a strong faith to overcome all obstacles, even death can’t overcome them.
2.2/ Practice God’s words shall increase one’s virtues: Another application Jesus mentioned is that when people look at fruits they know the tree, “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.” Those who practice God’s words shall have their virtues increasing and doing many good works. In opposition, those who don’t practice God’s words shall not have any good works or virtues as Jesus said, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” People can hear a person’s word and look at his deed, they know how God’s words had an effect on that person.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We must be patient and spend time in learning, meditating and applying God’s words in our life. Since they didn’t thoroughly know God’s words, the Corinthians continually worshipped idols and confused about eating meat that was sacrificed for idols.
– In the spiritual life, we must be persevered to build our life on the rock which is Jesus and his Church through listening and practicing God’s words. Even this world shall pass away, we still have a lasting house in heaven.
– If we stubbornly build our house on temporal values, such as: beauty, power, fame and money as those who build their house on sand, we shall not have strong faith to face trials and sufferings of life and must bear all consequent results.