Hebrews states: “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Reading the lectionary today, I realized God was showing me the state of my heart, and how it’s reflected in the words I speak.
The full lectionary is found here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030225.cfm
As we pray through Bible passages below, let’s ask God to reveal to us the state of our hearts as it is shown by the way we talk.
Reading I – Sirach 27:4-7
We’ve all had conversations that leave us asking, ‘Why did I say that?’
When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do one’s faults when one speaks. (Sirach 27:4)
There are times when our speech reveals our inner poverty and our need for character growth.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. (Sirach 27:6)
The Gospel portion of today’s lectionary reminds us that speech is an indicator of the condition of our hearts. The care we devote to the development of our minds will be reflected in the way we speak.
Paul is right to counsel us: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2).
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
“Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation” (Sonja Lyubomirsky).
Let’s pause in our meditation and prayer to express thanks to God for His steadfast love and faithfulness.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High,
To declare your steadfast love in the morning
and your faithfulness by night. (Psalm 92:1-2)
Reading II – 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Paul encourages us to remain steadfast and dedicated to God’s work, trusting that God is working with us even during persecution, oppression, and hard times.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Alleluia – Philippians 2:15d, 16a
Shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life (Philippians 2:15d, 16a).
Gospel – Luke 6:39-45
Like the proverb from Sirach, Jesus noted that the “husks” or blessings of speech derive from the condition of the heart.
“The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
I’m so quick to judge others’ speech that I jokingly call myself a ‘spec inspector.’ But Jesus reminds me that before evaluating someone else’s heart, I need to examine my own life and address the ‘log’ that blinds me to my faults.
“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye” (Luke 6:41-42).
Like bookends, Sirach and Jesus remind us that our speech reveals the state of our hearts. Let’s pray that we begin living more of a Jesus-kind-of-life as Dallas Willard says.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed the event when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, and God rescued him.
Real Voices 