March 2nd, 2025 (Eighth Sunday Ordinary C)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Christ gives this parable to us and the disciples “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.” This parable seems reasonable to us, that if: I am good, I get good things. We think that this is a parable that we can fulfill with our ‘goodness’. But Christ immediately courted this idea by saying “can a blind person guide a blind person? … why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam on your own?” If you can not see your own sins, then how can you do good for others? So if we can’t do good on our own how can we receive the promise that Saint Paul gives us “The sign 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.” This promise is given to us by faith, the faith that God will provide when we have nothing, the faith that God will not abandon us when we are in difficult situations. Like Abraham in the desert leaving land and family because God made a promise, willing to sacrifice his only son because he knows God is faithful. To be tested, like the First reading states, “Tribulation is the test of justice.” And where can you get this faith? The Church, the Church is the guarantor for our faith. From the Church we receive faith, and with faith there is eternal life.