Reflection for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2022

Imagine a group of children playing follow the leader. They are all holding hands because they are all blind-folded. Imagine that the leader is wearing a blind-fold as well. How far will these children get before they bump into something , trip over each other or all fall down? If the leader was not blind-folded, they could probably get along fairly well. But since the leader is blind-folded, it is highly do that they will get very far.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us about following a ” blind leader.” If we take this out of the physical realm, and look at it in the spiritual realm, we can easily recognize that Jesus is warning us not follow anyone who has not been enlightened by Christ. We are not to follow the way of the world. We are not to walk through life with our eyes focused on earthly things. We are not called to cherish worldly values.
Jesus wants us to know ourselves. He doesn’t want us to go around looking at other people’s faults. Rather, He wants us to look deeply within ourselves – to recognize our own faults , our own sinfulness, then we are to start changing the world – first by changing ourselves. It is very easy for us to recognize the faults of others, but it can be very difficult to take personal responsibility for our own faults. We are called to look humbly at our own personal situation in life and to continue in the process of on-going personal conversion. We are called to take care of the plank in our own eye before looking for the speck in someone’s else’s eye.
Because of our human situation we are all weak, we all sin. Yet, Jesus was willing to teach word and action how we can move beyond our sinfulness, and move beyond giving in to temptation. Further, Jesus shows to us God’s unconditional love and his graciousness in forgiving all contrite and repentant sinners. Jesus was willing to die on the cross of salvation to free us, he rose from the dead to give us a share in the newness of life on earth and in eternity.
In order for us truly to live out the great value and dignity of human life, we must be careful whose voice we listen to and be careful who are follow. If we truly can follow God’s way, and give God’s voice primary in our lives, then we need not walk through life spiritually blind-folded.
Listen for God’s voice today – a voice that calls us out of sinfulness into the splendor of living out the wonders and joys of being his children – continue to see only the goodness in one another.

God bless you all !
Fr. Dominic
Your brother in Christ