8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In a world full of moral and doctrinal relativism, the truth is disappearing from the human horizon, and men sometimes confuse the notion of good and evil because they have adopted blind guides who generally lead them to fall into an abyss (cf. Lk 6:39).
Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira taught that a child of Truth has, “as one of his most outstanding missions, that of re-establishing or reviving the distinction between good and evil.”1 And it is on this differentiation that Our Lord invites us to meditate in the Gospelfor this 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, when He says that “no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit” (Lk 6:43). Indeed, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good,” while “the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45).
Many blind guides (cf. Mt 23:16) have appeared throughout the ages. They neither live the truth themselves nor allow others to do so. These are the ones condemned by the Master when He told the Pharisees that they were closing off the Kingdom of Heaven to men, because they neither entered nor allowed others to enter (cf. Mt 23:13). How can we detect them in our day? Sirach tells us very well: “The fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; so the expression of a thought discloses the cultivation of a man’s mind” (27:6). And again: “Do not praise a man before you hear him reason, for this is the test of men” (27:7).
We are called to shine like lights in this world, as the Gospel Acclamation tells us (cf. Phil 2:15d, 16a). In order to do this, we need to follow the advice of the Apostle, who implores us in the second reading: “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). And the Lord’s work consists of being righteous, so that our mouths speak the word of truth that springs from a heart full of love for God.
We will go through many tribulations amid the growing doctrinal relativism of today’s false prophets, who seem to be leading humanity to perdition. But let us trust in the Truth, which has promised us: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 24:13).
We will therefore be saved by divine help, coming to us through the Queen of Heaven who, like a guiding star, will heal the blindness of our hearts so that we may find the truth where it is. ◊
Notes
1 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Revolução e Contra-Revolução. 9.ed. São Paulo: Associação Brasileira Arautos do Evangelho, 2024, p.191.
