My words come from the heart

Listening to the Spirit

Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Word so that all your people may know and love You more and understand You better.

As I go about my day may I not forget

the scriptures you have opened up for me.

Help me to recognize how You want for me to apply Your Word to my daily life. Holy Spirit, guided by Your Word, may You enlighten my mind and enkindle in my heart a greater love for You and for others in my family and in the world.

Amen.

Listening to the Word

Luke 6:39-45

Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 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. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear 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.”

Reflection

Let us imagine a huge mango tree, vibrant green because of its leaves and adorned with many yellow spots. This is the common image, a tree bearing fruits, used in the first reading and in the Gospel: the good fruits represent the good words of a person who cares for his/her heart. In today’s readings, the importance of WORDS and HEART emerges. Before we seek to understand the meaning, let us listen to Jesus.

“You hypocrite!” These words of Jesus are weighty but let us accept them; let us believe that in each one of us, there is some hypocrisy. Let us pause for a moment and recognize that accepting the truth is painful but fruitful.

Sometimes we feel awful, offended, misunderstood, and angry because someone makes harsh remarks to us. When those words touch our hidden wounds, we feel bad, and the world we strive to build seems to fall apart. That moment could be the beginning of a new awareness of who we are, our weaknesses, our wounds, and our fragilities. We realize, finally, the presence of the “wooden beam in our eye.” That is a valuable beginning because only in that moment do we recognize our identity, and therefore we become compassionate and understanding toward others. We will avoid judgment, appreciating the efforts of others to become good people.

“For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” First, words allow us to build bridges with other people. Let us imagine a mute person. He or she lives in a difficult situation because he or she cannot connect or relate to others. Words reveal who we are. When we speak, regardless of the subject, we always speak from ourselves, and we speak about ourselves. Words are intimately linked to our bodies and our souls, to our biographies and our wounds.

Second, in this current time, the prevalence of fake news and the way politicians and journalists are using words have led to a devaluation of their meaning. The result is that we no longer believe in people, and trust in one another is further weakened, generating a climate of suspicion and discouragement.

“For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” The content of our heart is of utmost importance. WORDS come from the heart. There is no way to stop them; what we think in our hearts, sooner or later, will come out. We cannot control ourselves all the time. When we speak, our perspective on people and how we regard them will manifest through our words and verbal expressions. Therefore, there are some relevants questions: how do I nourish my heart? What are the words, images, feelings, and inspirations that nurture it? If I feed my heart with lies, bad feelings, and anger, I will contribute to bringing hate and division into our families, communities, and the world. However, if I nourish my heart with the Word of God, embracing the way God perceives reality and teaches us to relate to Him and others, if my heart is filled with concern for others, hospitality, mercy, and forgiveness, then for sure, words of encouragement, care, and peace will flow from my heart.