Fr. Manuel João, comboni missionary
Sunday Reflection
from the womb of my whale, ALS
Our cross is the pulpit of the Word
Place a Sentry at the Door of Your Heart!
Year C – Ordinary Time – 8th Sunday
Luke 6:39-45: “The good man brings forth good from the treasure of his heart”
This Sunday’s Gospel passage, continuing the discourse on the Beatitudes according to Luke, gathers together several short sayings of Jesus in the form of contrasting images and figures: two blind men, disciple and master, you and your brother, beam and speck, good tree and bad tree, good fruit and bad fruit, thorns and brambles, figs and grapes, good heart and bad heart, good and evil…
These words of Jesus, although seemingly lacking an obvious logical connection, appear to be linked by a mnemonic thread: blind, eye, beam, tree, fruit… However, their meaning clearly refers to the life of the believer within the community.
In Matthew’s Gospel, these sayings are directed against the scribes and Pharisees; Saint Luke, on the other hand, writing for Greek-speaking communities, updates them and addresses them particularly to their leaders.
These sayings can be grouped into three sections:
1. A Blind Man Leading Another Blind Man (vv. 39-40)
“Can a blind man guide another blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?”
A blind person who assumes he can see, who does not recognise his own limitations yet presumes to lead others, is not such a rare occurrence—and it is a real danger for any group or community. This scenario is denounced in the episode of the man born blind, recounted in the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel, which concludes precisely with these words of Jesus addressed to the Pharisees: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains” (Jn 9:41).
The Christian leader (and in some way, we all have the task of guiding someone!) must be aware of his own need to be guided and enlightened, always remaining a disciple of the one true Master.
2. The Beam and the Speck (vv. 41-42)
“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and not notice the beam in your own eye?”
The image is striking and requires no explanation. We all tend to downplay our own faults and exaggerate those of others. We are easily tempted to apply double standards.
“What we see in others as a ‘beam’, we perceive in ourselves as a ‘speck’; what we condemn in others, we excuse in ourselves” (Enzo Bianchi).
However, this does not mean that we should not practise fraternal correction; rather, it must be done with love, without judging or condemning the person. If an authority figure is required to correct someone, they must do so with the credibility of their own life witness.
3. The Tree and Its Fruits (vv. 43-45)
“There is no such thing as a good tree that produces bad fruit, nor a bad tree that produces good fruit.”
Here, Jesus provides us with a criterion for discernment: a tree is recognised by its fruits. And from the metaphor of the tree, Jesus moves on to the human heart: “The good man brings forth good from the treasure of his heart; the bad man brings forth evil from his evil treasure.”
Let us therefore reflect on the heart, which could be the key to interpreting this entire Gospel passage.
Points for Reflection
A Person Is Defined by Their Heart
Our heart is the furnace of our life. Thoughts, desires, feelings, emotions, words, gestures, actions—everything converges there and shapes our existence. “A person is their heart,” said Saint Augustine. This is why Jesus states: “The good man brings forth good from the treasure of his heart, and the bad man brings forth evil from his evil treasure.”
Yet, it seems that few people make the effort to truly know their own hearts. We often live outside of ourselves, almost as if fleeing from our own being. Perhaps it is because we feel uncomfortable within our own interiority. Moments of silence and solitude make us restless. It seems that we are running away from ourselves, and over time, our heart becomes a foreign place—no longer our home, our dwelling.
Reclaiming Ownership of the Heart
If we want to change our lives and make them more beautiful, we must start with the heart. The first step is to reclaim it. We need the courage to: re-enter ourselves; clear out all the clutter that fills it and restore order; drive away those who have taken up residence there unlawfully; place a door at the entrance of our heart and a sentinel to guard what enters and what leaves!
Hesychius of Sinai, a Christian monk and theologian of the 7th century, wrote:
“Sobriety is an immovable and constant sentinel of the spirit, stationed at the door of the heart to carefully discern the thoughts that present themselves, to listen to their plans, to spy on the manoeuvres of these mortal enemies, and to recognise the demonic imprint that attempts, through imagination, to disturb the spirit. This activity, carried out with courage, will grant us, if we so wish, a very discerning experience of spiritual combat” (quoted by Fr. Gaetano Piccolo).
Rather than sobriety, we might speak of discernment, which acts as a sieve (see the first reading). It is about maintaining constant awareness of what is happening in our hearts, always being present to ourselves—an exercise that makes us conscious of the thoughts, intentions, emotions, and desires that fill our inner being.
To aid us in this journey of awareness, a brief examination of conscience each day, or at least a longer weekly period of life review, would be helpful. This would be an excellent exercise for the upcoming Lent!
It is not an easy proposal, but neither is it impossible. It is an exercise that requires time, perseverance, and perhaps most of all, courage. Indeed, we will often painfully discover that, alongside many good things, our hearts also harbour pettiness, duplicity, and mediocrity. And yet, this is the only path to true freedom and to living in the truth of the Gospel.
Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia, MCCJ
