“The Blind” Will Mislead!

Weekly Missionary Reflection
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 27 February 2022
Sir. 27:4-7; Ps. 92:2-3.13-14.15-16; 1Cor. 15:54-58; Luk. 6:39-45

The task of the disciples, in the past and present, is to continue the work and preaching of Jesus, the Teacher. Which quality does Jesus expect from His disciples for such a high task? In today’s Gospel, Jesus continued His teaching (Luk. 6:20-49) about the task and quality that He expected from them. As usual, the wise Teacher did not preach abstractly, but through three short parables.

First, each disciple is given the task to guide the others. Becoming Jesus’s disciple means to walk with Him. During His ministry, Jesus guided His disciples to walk with Him to Jerusalem. In the journey, He taught and made them as witnesses, for they had seen His work and example, also listened to His word and preaching. The task to guide people is continued by His disciples. Nevertheless, this task also demands a high qualification. If the task is done by a “blind” person, it is absolutely improper and unclear, it must be a wrong and misleading doctrine. Both will fall into a pit (v. 39). What’s the solution? Keep learning from the Teacher! Make Him and His teaching as our guidance, not other teachers’ teaching and theory. Jesus also emphasized that His disciples should always learn from Him, in order to be equally qualified as Him (v. 40).

Second, each disciple is given the task to help others, so that they are able to see themselves and overcome their weakness. Nevertheless, the disciples should first make self-reflection and have self-awareness. You and I are called to always find out and correct self mistakes and weaknesses. Before I can know myself well and do not perform the teaching of the Teacher, nor love and be generous like Him, my eyes are still blocked by a big log. This is not a qualifying condition to see and correct others! (v. 41-42). Yet, this condition can not be used as an excuse for not caring and correcting each other. Jesus indeed commanded: “take out the log in your eyes” then I can see clearly to “take out the speck from my neighbor’s eyes” (v. 42). Correcting each other is a task, but qualified self-awareness must come first!

Third, keep uniting with the Teacher! This unity is like a tree and its fruit (v. 43-44): a true and fruitful relationship. The unity with the Teacher is an essential task for the disciples, for the sake of sustaining the quality of discipleship and preaching. By being united with Jesus, you and I will always have the vivid model and guidance in teaching and directing others. By uniting with Jesus, our heart will always be filled with the treasure of the Gospel, bearing fruit in every word and work of love (v. 45). By uniting with Jesus, you and I will always be aware that we are blind and imperfect, we need Jesus to open our eyes and make us perfect. He is the only source of our knowledge and perfectness. If He has fixed and filled our hearts with the wealth of His Gospel, we are then worth to teach and guide others.

(Hortensius Mandaru – Indonesia Bible Society)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy, and sorrow in the unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of Indonesian Church of this month:

For Universal Churches: For the nuns and women living a life of devotion
We pray for the nuns and women living a life of devotion; we thank them for their mission and courage; may they keep on finding ways in responding to the challenge of this new era.

For Indonesian Churches intention: Plastic waste management sustainability
We pray that the individual or group effort to reduce and recycle plastic waste could lead to community empowerment efforts for it is supported by the government and social institutions.

Amen