COMMENT ON THE LITURGY OF THE EIGHT SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Collect
O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
Rm 8:12-17; Mt 7:15-21
Comment
Who are the false prophets Jesus speaks of, telling us that they come in lambs' clothing but turn out to be wolves? To judge them, Jesus exhorts us to evaluate the fruits they produce. But how do we distinguish the good from bad fruits? An indication is given by Paul, in his letter to the Romans, which offers a contrast between the flesh and the Spirit. We do not have a debt with the flesh, which leads to death, but with the Spirit (Rm 8:12-13).
With the word "flesh" (Gr. Sarx) the apostle indicates how much man is subject to transience, our fragility, our limitations. The flesh is that something of our human nature that if not redeemed by the Spirit drags us towards eternal death. The Spirit, on the other hand, leads to life and sanctification, if we let ourselves be guided by him: "those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God" (Rom 8:14).
The flesh reduces into slavery because it makes subject to dead works (Heb 9:14). Living according to the flesh means living for what is vain, unstable, impermanent; for this reason, it means living in fear: constant fear of loss, loss of what we own or want and loss of our very existence. Living according to the Spirit means living for the Kingdom of God, founded in the Eternal and in the very source of life.
The Spirit of God testifies to our spirit that although all that we have and all that we are is threatened by annihilation, we are heirs of life, heirs of none other than God himself, in Christ, destined to glorify with him.
The experience of suffering, loss and death continue to be part of earthly existence, but the incarnate Word wanted to share them fully with us, to bring the presence of God even to the most desolate places of human existence. Death, already defeated by Christ's paschal triumph, will no longer have room in the Kingdom of God, whose presence among us is already witnessed by the good fruits of believers.
If our life is rooted in the Scriptures we will be like a good tree (Ps 1:3), which cannot bear bad fruit, nor can it remain without fruit. Therefore, the certainty, perhaps the presumption, of being justified by faith, predestined for salvation is not enough. God calls us to holiness, to perfect charity (1 Cor 12:31; 13:1-13) and his grace acts in believers to bring it to completion.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
