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Reading from the book of Sierak. Let us
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praise the famous men, our ancestors
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through the generations. These are men
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of mercy. Their acts of kindness will
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not be forgotten. They remain with their
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descendants. Their own grandchildren are
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their best inheritance. Their
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descendants remain faithful to the
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covenants and through them their
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children. Their descendants endure
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forever and their glory will never be
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extinguished. Their bodies will be
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buried in peace and their name endures
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through all generations. The peoples
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will proclaim their wisdom and the
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assembly will celebrate their praise.
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The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. At that time Jesus said to
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his disciples, "Blessed are you, for
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your eyes see and your ears hear. Truly
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I tell you, many prophets and righteous
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people long to see what you see and did
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not see it. They long to hear what you
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hear and did not hear it." Word of
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salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine walking through an old cemetery
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at dusk. The tombstones stretch out in
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orderly rows, each telling the story of
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a life lived. Some are grand, elaborate
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monuments proclaiming great deeds.
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Others are simple with just a name and
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two dates. But they all have something
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in common. They represent lives that
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left a mark, a legacy, a memory. Now
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imagine that suddenly these stones begin
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to glow with a soft golden light. Not
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all of them, but some. Those that
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represent people who lived not just for
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themselves, but for something greater,
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something eternal. This image helps us
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understand the powerful message of
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today's readings about lasting legacy
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and true blessedness. The book of
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Ecclesiasticus invites us to praise the
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mighty. But what criteria does the
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author use to determine who deserves to
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be remembered? It's not necessarily the
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richest, the most powerful, or the most
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famous. It's those who left a name so
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that their praises may be proclaimed.
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But pay attention to what truly makes
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these men worthy of remembrance. Not
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their worldly achievements, but the fact
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that their righteousness will not be
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forgotten. Nor will their memory fade
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away. Righteousness, that quality of
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living in harmony with God's will, of
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treating others with equity and
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compassion, of seeking the common good
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above self-interest. The text continues
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with an extraordinary promise. Their
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offspring will remain in a holy
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inheritance and their descendants will
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persevere in the covenants. What kind of
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inheritance is this? It's not gold or
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silver, houses or lands. It's a
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spiritual inheritance. A legacy of faith
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and righteousness that transcends
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generations. Think for a moment, what
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kind of legacy are you leaving? Not just
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in material terms, but in terms of
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character, values, and impact on the
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lives of others. When you're no longer
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here, how will you be remembered? For
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the cars you drove, the homes you owned,
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or for the kindness you spread, the
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justice you defended, the love you
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demonstrated? Sirk tells us that these
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righteous men proclaim their wisdom in
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the assembly, and the congregation
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declares their praise. Their lives
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became living sermons, lessons of wisdom
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that continue to inspire and teach long
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after their departure. But there's
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another fascinating aspect to this text.
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The author mentions those who died as if
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they had never been and were as if they
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had never been born. What a dramatic
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contrast. There are people who, despite
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having lived, left no significant trace
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of their time in this world. They lived
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only for themselves, consumed by trivial
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concerns and momentary pleasures. This
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is where the Gospel of Matthew sheds a
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brilliant light on our understanding.
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Jesus tells his disciples, "Blessed are
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your eyes, for they see, and your ears,
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for they hear." What an extraordinary
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statement. Jesus is talking about a
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special vision and hearing, not
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physical, but spiritual. But what
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exactly do the disciples see and hear
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that makes them blessed? Jesus explains,
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"Truly I tell you, many prophets and
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righteous people long to see what you
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see and did not see it and to hear what
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you hear and did not hear it." The
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disciples are witnessing something that
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previous generations could only dream
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of. The incarnation of the Messiah, the
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fulfillment of divine promises, the
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kingdom of God manifesting on earth.
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They are seeing Jesus in action, hearing
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his teachings directly from his lips,
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witnessing his miracles. But there is a
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profound irony here. Not everyone who
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saw Jesus physically truly saw him in a
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spiritual sense. Many of his
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contemporaries looked at him and saw
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only a carpenter from Nazareth, an
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itinerant preacher, perhaps a disturber
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of the peace. They had eyes, but they
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did not see. They had ears, but they did
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not hear. True blessedness is not simply
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being in the physical presence of Jesus
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but in recognizing who he is and what he
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represents. It is having the eyes of the
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heart open to see the spiritual reality
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behind physical appearances. My dear
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brothers and sisters, this message
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resonates powerfully in our lives today.
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Each of us is called to be like those
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illustrious men of Sierak, not through
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worldly achievements but through a life
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of righteousness and faithfulness to
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God. But how can we live in such a way
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as to leave a lasting legacy? How can we
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ensure that our passage through this
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world has meaning and purpose? First, we
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need to cultivate the eyes and ears of
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faith. Just as the disciples were
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blessed to see and hear Jesus, we are
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called to develop a spiritual vision
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that allows us to recognize God's
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presence and action in our lives and in
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the world around us. How often do we
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miss God's blessings because we are
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looking only with our physical eyes? How
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often do we fail to hear his voice
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because our ears are tuned only to the
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noises of the world? Think of a father
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who works long hours to support his
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family. With his physical eyes, he may
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see only fatigue and sacrifice, but with
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the eyes of faith, he can see that he is
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participating in God's creative and
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providing work. He can see that he is
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leaving a legacy of love and dedication
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that will impact future generations.
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Consider a mother patiently caring for a
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child with special needs. With her
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physical ears, she may hear only cries
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and struggles, but with the ears of
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faith, she can hear God's call to be an
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instrument of his unconditional love.
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Second, we are called to live in such a
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way that our justice is not forgotten.
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This does not mean seeking recognition
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or fame, but living in such a way that
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our values and principles leave a
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positive mark on the world. How do we do
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this? Through small everyday acts of
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kindness and justice. When we defend
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someone who is being wronged. When we
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share our resources with those in need.
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When we treat each person with dignity
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and respect. When we choose honesty even
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when it costs us, we are building a
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legacy of justice. Third, we must
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recognize that we are privileged in a
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way that previous generations were not.
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We have full access to the gospel, to
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God's revelation in Jesus Christ. We
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have the Eucharist, the sacraments, the
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rich tradition of the church. We have
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spiritual resources that the prophets
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and righteous of the Old Testament could
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only glimpse. This is a tremendous
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responsibility. To whom much is given,
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much will be required. We are like the
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disciples, blessed because we see and
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hear. But with this blessedness comes
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the responsibility to live up to what we
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have received. Finally, we are called to
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be bridges between generations. Just as
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the illustrious men of Ecclesiasticus
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left a spiritual legacy for their
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posterity, we are called to pass on our
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faith and values to future generations.
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This is not just the responsibility of
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parents, but of the entire Christian
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community. Each of us can be a model of
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authentic Christian living for young
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people. Each of us can share our wisdom
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and spiritual experience. Imagine the
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impact if each of us committed to living
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in such a way that when we depart this
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life, we will be remembered not for what
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we accumulated but for what we gave, not
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for the position we held but for the
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lives we touched. Not for the noise we
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made but for the peace we spread. May we
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have eyes to see the daily opportunities
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to practice justice and spread God's
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love. May we have ears to hear the
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subtle calls of the Holy Spirit inviting
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us to be instruments of his grace. And
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may we at the end of our earthly journey
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hear the master's words. Well done, good
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and faithful servant. You have been
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faithful with a few things. I will
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entrust you with many things. Come and
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share in the joy of your Lord. May the
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grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love
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of God the Father, and the fellowship of
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the Holy Spirit be with you all today
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
