NORTH PARRAMATTA (AUSTRALIA)
Catholic Outlook [Diocese of Parramatta NSW, Australia]
March 2, 2025
By Bishop Vincent Long OFM
Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 27:4-7; 1 Cor 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45
Caution against our blind spots and distortions of the Christian faith.
Dear brothers and sisters,
At the beginning of the synod in Rome last year, there was a penitential ceremony that was particularly significant. It signalled the “change of era” that Pope Francis often spoke about. “Change of era” indicates the willingness to convert to a new way of being Church, consisting in adopting a culture of humility, vulnerability, servant-leadership and preferential option for the poor. This was truly a paradigm shift, that is, a radical change from the default position of dominance, power and triumphalism that was part of the legacy of the pre-Vatican II era.
During this ceremony, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Church’s sins against peace, against the dispossessed, women, abuse survivors and even the environment. He told the congregation that there can be no synodal Church without reconciliation. One by one, the logs or the blind spots of clericalism, superiority and complicity against the indigenous and the poor were acknowledged. It was a rare public confession and a Damascus moment for the institutional Church.
The Word of God is an invitation to the followers of Christ to act with integrity, humility and empathy towards others. Already during the last two Sundays, we listened to a message that is in stark contrast to the logic of the world. Jesus taught us that those who are considered the least and the last are in fact the favoured of God. The Beatitudes are the inversion or subversion of the world’s winners-take-all system. They oblige us to care for the vulnerable and expendable against the culture of entitlement and merit. But that is not all. Following Jesus also means seeing goodness, humanity and dignity of the people whom we regard as outsiders, threats or even enemies. It means stretching the limits of our capacity to love.
Today’s episode is further illustration of how the logic of the kingdom is lived out in relationship with others. Jesus warns against the danger of being prisoners to our own ideas, assumptions and prejudices. The true disciple must be wary of his own blind spots and distortions of the faith.
The book of Ecclesiasticus, also known as Sirach, is a collection of ethical teachings gleaned from various sources over the centuries. They show a profound knowledge of the human heart, a caution towards power and wealth, a deep empathy with the poor and the oppressed. In today’s episode, there is a popular maxim that says a tree is judged on the quality of its fruit. A warning is sounded against any hasty judgement based on appearances.
This warning is consistent with the biblical tradition. In God’s scheme of things, it is often the small beginnings, insignificant events and people, which lead to the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Whereas might is right according to the logic of the empire, it is faith in vulnerability, powerlessness and smallness that wins the day according to the logic of the Bible.
In the Gospel, Jesus sounds a warning against pride, arrogance and judgmental attitudes towards others. “Take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.” Often without realising, Christians have allowed the planks or the logs of power, wealth, superiority complex and sectarianism to claim privilege and marginalise minority groups. During the long reign of Christendom, we colluded with the power that be in aiding and abetting antisemitism and the oppression of indigenous peoples, to name but a few distortions of the Gospel.
Dear friends,
Today, we especially pray for the staff and seminarians at our Holy Spirit Seminary as they begin their academic year. These days, the pool from which priestly vocations emerge is shrinking. Nevertheless, our commitment to quality priestly formation is unwavering. Following the Diocesan Synod, we are galvanised to form synodal leaders for a synodal Church. This means that the priests we need for our time and our place must be humble, listening and faith-filled companions of God’s people, both inside and outside the tent. This means a conversion to a new way of being Church that is rooted in the Gospel values of humility, vulnerability, servant-leadership and preferential option for the poor.
In the light of the Church’s diminished status, we have a particular duty in regaining a sense of trust and credibility through our authentic witness. Only by dying to power, domination, ostentation and rising to humility, simplicity, servant-hood can we be catalysts for renewal and agents of the Gospel. “Never give in, my dear friends” Paul tells us in the second reading. Let us not give in to despair, denial and defeatism but “keep on working” to bring about the Kingdom vision of Jesus. Then less centred on our own success and more focused and engaged with God’s concern for the world, we can be a leavening force for positive transformation.