2 March, Sunday – We The Beloved

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 27:4-7
1 Cor 15:54-58
Luk 6:39-45

For every tree can be told by its own fruit…

I had recently started to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia. I am now halfway through the series and today’s readings seem to be paralleling the Narnian stories. What really stood out to me, among all the imagery, was the scene of the planting of the Tree of Protection in the first book, The Magician’s Nephew. I think a lot of what this scene implied was also mentioned in today’s gospel. Our actions and words tell a lot about our true selves, whether good or bad. We also draw many characteristics and traits from our ancestors, whether we like it or not. We can only have control over ourselves as to whether we listen to the word of God or not. And at the heart of all this, we must remember who we are — children of God.

Every tree is known by its fruit. Our actions and deeds tell far more about us than anything else can. Some of us may hear it from our good friends, some of us may take long hard looks in the mirror, and perhaps cringe at what we see. Yes, upon reflection, we do realise all of our shortcomings. After examining our consciences, we see all our faults and all our sins. It is often discouraging to face ourselves this way, to see how weak we are, how unworthy, how hopeless even. It is easy to despair. And that is exactly what the Devil wants us to do.

Let us imagine for a moment that we are the fruit. What then, or who then, is the tree? Remember, brothers and sisters, that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus himself said that he is the vine and we the branches. So then, we have the divine in us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 374 to 379 remind us that mankind was, at the start, meant to share in the divine life in Paradise, and was meant to live a life in accordance and harmony with God. But then, The Fall happened.

When sin entered the world, it destroyed the harmony we were meant to have and now sin is passed down from generation to generation. Human nature is now wounded and inclined to sin. Now, the Devil is having a field day with this. With our propensity to sin, and to pass the stain of sin onwards through the generations, the Devil can feast on our guilt and shame as he nudges us further and further away from God. I am sure many of us have wounds and we have also wounded others. We have hardened our hearts to some degree to protect against pain and hurt. We have convinced ourselves we are unlikeable and unworthy. These are all lies that the Devil is telling us about ourselves.

Remember that we are made in the image and likeness of God. What had God intended us to be? What kind of good fruit? That is who and what we truly are in spite of our shortcomings and spiritual wounds. Just because we have sinned, and are affected by generational sin, does not make us unworthy. God’s love is everlasting and eternal. And God can heal. God can heal us from all of the spiritual afflictions plaguing us and free us to be the children of God we are meant to be. No one is so badly wounded to be completely lost if they are willing to let God heal them.

If we are to be healed, we must know that it will not be a short, overnight process. It will be for the long run, with good days and terrible days, and it will be painful. Just like how Eustace was stripped of his dragon’s hide and became a boy again (in Narnia’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader), we need to recognise and acknowledge all our hurts, and strip away the layers of lies and pain in which we have walled ourselves. Only then can we ask God to take the darkness away, and to renounce our former evil ways and be healed.  

We do not have to do this alone. The Catholic Spirituality Centre organises many retreats such as the Conversion Experience Retreat (CER), Prayer Experience Retreat (PER), and the Inner Healing Retreat (IHR), among others, that will guide you into a deep self reflection, prayer life, and a path to healing. Disclaimer: I do not work for them, but I have attended a couple of retreats and events and heard many testimonies to know that it is a safe haven and an oasis for all of us who are battered by the storms of life. Do check them out — there is something for everyone wherever they are at, for whatever spiritual need they have.  

As we continue to do battle against the darkness in order to produce good fruit and be good fruit, we need to gird ourselves with prayer, fasting, self denial, and the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. At the heart of it all, we are children of God, and we must return ourselves to that splendour and let the seeds that God has planted flourish and bear good fruit.  

In keeping with the Narnian theme, I do find the song This Is Home from the movie Prince Caspian to be rather apt in describing the feeling of being on the path to healing from our wounds, walking away from the darkness, and finding our home in God’s love: “Belief over misery, I’ve seen the enemy, and I won’t go back, back to how it was.”

Keep in mind that we are all beloved children of God made in his image. We must turn away from the Devil and his lies to us about ourselves. Instead, we must learn to see ourselves as God sees us, learn to love ourselves as God loves us, and live the lives that God intended for us. If you, dear reader, need another song as motivation, Hillsong’s The Potter’s Hand reminds us to let God lead us into a life lived in harmony with Him.  

(Today’s OXYGEN by Felicia Zou)

Prayer: Dear Lord, we humbly ask of You to open our eyes and our hearts to Your healing love. Help us to not fear the darkness and pain that we have been mired in. Help us to draw ever nearer to You as we let You into our lives, so that we in turn, can share your Healing light with others.

Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, we thank You for Your unending love and patience for us, even when we fall so many times.