The Catholic Calendar for Monday, June 21, 2004
Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

Scripture from Monday’s Liturgy of the Word:
2 Kings 17:5-8,13-15,18
Psalm 60:3-5,12-13
Matthew 7:1-5

A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture:

Human vision is a funny thing: we can see the microscopic speck in another’s eye but not the huge chunk in our own. So, when we get something in our own eye what do we do? Well, one choice is to look into a mirror and fish out whatever is in there, or we can get a friend to look in there and get it out for us. Either way, we’re unable to see it for ourselves without some kind of help.

Now it’s obvious that Jesus wasn’t talking about the actual eye in today’s Gospel. But rather He was saying that we shouldn’t point out others’ minor faults when we ourselves have a very large one. We are to “remove the plank in our own eye first; then we’ll see clearly to take the speck from our brother’s eye.” But if we’re unable to see our major faults so we can remove them in order to help our brother, then how do we get the “plank” out of our own eye?

Why not carry our Lord’s analogy a step further and do a self- examination or get some outside help? Personally, I’ve been very blessed with a wife who has had to drag some fairly large timbers from my eye a time or two. But she does so without condemnation and in a Christian spirit of love. I’m also fortunate to have a special confessor who undertakes the same task in a similar loving fashion.

So, when you find yourself spotting the speck in your brother’s eye very easily, don’t think it’s because there’s nothing in yours. Chances are there’s a plank in there you can’t see. Seek help from those who can lovingly remove the plank from your eye, then set out to help your brother or spend some time in self-examination. Our Lord promises that we won’t be judged if we stop passing judgment.

- Don Claunch, SFO

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posted by joachim at 5:12 AM