Removing the Beam: A Journey to Self-Reflection and Grace

03-02-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

Today is the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, the last Sunday before Lent begins. With the Gospel of today, (Luke 6:39-45) we come to the third major section from Jesus' instruction to his disciples known as the Sermon on the Plain. Where the section set for last week dealt with action towards others, now we seem to have something that is trying to reach deeper; to the wellspring of action found in the human heart.

"Can a blind person guide a blind person? If they try, they may both fall into a pit." If a blind person went walking down Main street when the construction is going on, they might end up in a trench. The blind person needs someone to tell them what they are getting into. Of course, Jesus is referring to more than just physical blindness. When we face moral choices in our lives, how well do we know what our faith teaches and why so that we can apply it to whatever situations we face?

Jesus' point is that we need to "Remove the wooden beam from your own eye FIRST." We need to acknowledge and address our own sins first and then help our "brothers and sisters" with their sins. This gives us credibility instead of being hypocrites. Are you aware of your own sins? If you are, are you trying to correct them or do you make excuses why it isn't that bad? If you are not conscious of any sin, is it because you are able to resist sin, or do you just not recognize it? Or do you ignore it?

The thing is, even if you fail to see your own sins or fail to correct them, there may be someone else who does see your sins and sees you ignore them. They see you as the hypocrite when you "complain" about the sins of others. Then, again, we are left without credibility.

When our Lord spoke these words, His purpose and intention was not to condemn His hearers, the vast majority of whom were guilty of the defects He mentioned, but rather to open their minds and their hearts to their shortcomings so they would change for the better and learn to live with their neighbour's faults and do all in their power to correct their own.

It is for the very same purpose that the Church has selected this particular lesson for us today. We are all guilty of rash judgement and unjustified criticism, to a greater or lesser degree. Let us turn this criticism on ourselves instead and judge ourselves honestly and sincerely.

In a short while, we may, with God's grace helping us, notice a change in our Christian conduct. We shall find ourselves becoming more Christian and therefore more charitable towards our neighbour and less critical of the faults of others.