The Lord Is My Chef Sunday Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, 02 March 2025
Sirach 27:4-7 ><}}}}*> 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 ><}}}}*> Luke 6:39-45

The last time we have celebrated the eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C was in 2001 when just like this year, the Season of Lent started late in March. In fact, the other last two Sundays of sixth and eighth in Cycle C were last celebrated in 2010 and 2007, respectively.

It is worth noting this because as Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Plain, we find that contrary to claims by many in this modern time, the teachings of Christ are actually taken directly from life as he reveals to us the truth in our hearts. Two Sundays ago, Jesus taught us the paradoxical happiness of our lives, of being poor, hungry, weeping, and maligned than rich, filled, laughing and well-spoken of; last Sunday, he taught us of the need to love truly that is rooted in God by loving without measure, loving even our enemies.

This Sunday, Jesus tells us something we often debate about as it usually puts us into a bind even a quandary on what to say and do.

Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye” (Luke 6:39, 41-42).

Very often in many instances, most of us choose to be quiet than speak out against evil and other irregularities among us and in our society because of this teaching of the Lord. Many are afraid to notice the splinter in the brother’s eye lest they too might have a wooden beam blocking their views of themselves.

And that is why, evil persists everywhere that eventually, many of us become silent partners in the many sins happening around us which is very far from the demands of Jesus for us to choose what is right and good, to always make a stand for him even on the Cross.

See the flow of the Sermon on the Plain, of how Jesus is first of all never condemning nor judgmental of anyone. We have reflected his four “woes” were actually invitations for the rich et alii to change their ways in life, to think more of things that do not pass like wealth and other material things.

Secondly, last Sunday, Jesus directed our intentions into our hearts, to probe our hearts and find his grace of supernatural or divine love poured in there so that we can love selflessly without measure like him.

This Sunday, Jesus still directs us into our hearts, to examine whether we are truly his disciple or a hypocrite as someone who says something yet does the opposite. It is not opposite his exhortation last week for us to be merciful like God our Father rather a challenge to examine what we practice, our Christian praxis.

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear a good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 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” (Luke 6:43-45).

It is clearly a lesson in holiness, in integrity of every disciple! Do we walk our talk? The most basic norm of morality is that what we know in our mind and what we feel in our heart is what we say and therefore what we do.

Where are we now? Everybody is speaking about corruption while the devils celebrate everywhere as we are all entangled in all forms of corruption not only in the streets and government offices but even in our homes, in schools and offices and yes, right inside the church in many parishes.

Now we come full circle with Christ’s opening to his parable, Can a blind person guide a blind person? And this is what is now happening in the world, in our lives, in our country and in our parishes. Nobody would want to speak because nobody would want to examine one’s heart and follow the path of Jesus.

It is in our deeds that one is recognized as a true disciple. Let us not forget that. And let us not be afraid to examine constantly the value of our many ways and practices.

One of the famous bishops and saint both recognized by the Eastern and Western Churches is St. John Chrysostom who served as Archbishop of Constantinople until the early 400’s. He is called the “golden mouthed” because of his gift in eloquence most true in his witnessing Christ, always meaning what he said like in this homily that sounds so 2025:

The Church is in an extremely critical state, and you think that all is going well. The fact is that we are plunged into countless sins, and we do not even know it!

You wonder why. We hav e churches, money, and everything else. There are places for assembly, people come there everyday; surely this is not nothing?

But it is not thus that we judge the state of the Church. Then how?, you ask.

Whether we lead a truly Christian life. Whether everyday we make ourselves spiritually more rich, bearing fruit, whether great or small; if we are not content simply with flfilling the law and expediting our religious duties.

Who is a better person, after having frequented the church all month?

This is what we must look for! After all, even what appears to be a good action is only a bad action, when one does not follow it up… If we bring nothing to fruition through it, it would be better to stay home (from Days of the Lord, vol. 6, page 62).

The kind of life we lead is the final test of our discipleship, the proof of what is in our hearts. St. Francis of Assisi used to tell his followers whenever they would preach to use only their mouth if necessary. Our actions speak louder than our words.

This is the biggest problem in the Church today: our lack of credibility as bishops and priests when our lives are far from what we say and teach.

God shared with us his power of the words. In the Bible, we find how his words and his being are always one since the story of creation into the coming of Jesus Christ who could heal with just mere words being the word who became flesh.

This is the whole point of Ben Sirach in our first reading this Sunday, reminding us that inasmuch as the potter knows the quality of his work after it has passed through fire, the same thing is most true with our words. We have to harness and master our speech, our words so that we walk what we talk.

We master our power of the words in our prayer life as St. Paul assured us in today’s second reading how in the Lord our labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Let us pray to the Holy Spirit especially this Sunday as we approach the Season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Let us keep our zeal for Christ not nonly for his words and teachings but most especially in his life and witnessing. Amen. See you at Ash Wednesday.