From The Bishop

In the Gospel for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus states, “Out of the good treasure of the heart, the good person produces good, and out of the evil treasure, the evil person produces evil.” Our Lord is touching upon an important spiritual truth: what we say, do and believe is influenced by what is within a person. Jesus also uses the image of a tree in order to highlight this point, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit.” In the First Reading, Sirach says something similar, “Its fruit discloses the cultivation of a tree; so a person’s speech discloses cultivation of the mind.” This coming Wednesday (March 6), we will mark the beginning of Lent. The month of March also heralds the beginning of Spring. This season is often associated with cleaning. After a long winter our homes are musty, cluttered, and dusty. A good ‘Spring cleaning’ is usually in order. Jesus reminds us that the same is true in the spiritual life. The season of Lent is a wonderful time to focus on the interior life and do a little ‘spring cleaning’. We need to look at what is in our hearts and get rid of the bad and embrace the good. As Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, we need to overcome our spiritual blindness, hypocrisy, and pride. We say no to our sinful inclinations, wants and desires, and yes to God and to the needs of our brothers and sisters. This is achieved through the traditional pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Going to Confession also helps when we humbly admit we are sinners in need of God’s mercy. Committing ourselves to forty days of spiritual renewal is not easy; however, the words of Sirach can help: “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immoveable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.”