Luke 6, 39-45:
Sunday, 27th February 2022. (8 O T C)
In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus’ teaching the crowds continues. He does so using comparisons, which must have been very common in his time: a blind man cannot lead a blind man…; a disciple cannot be more than his teacher…; the mote in another’s eye and the beam in his own… All related to last Sunday’s message of love of neighbour.
How easily we are willing to see the faults of our brothers and sisters, and yet we always have excuses for our own. We want to show the way to others when we ourselves are lost; we want to be teachers when we have learned almost nothing; we want to correct others without seeing our own faults. Jesus calls those who act like this, hypocrites.
We do not know what is deep down inside others, but we are quick to judge and condemn. We think we are superior and in possession of the truth, and therefore we have the right to judge. Yet the Lord tells us not to judge lest we be judged. It is easy for us to be unjust and we do not think that the same yardstick we use will be applied to us. St. Anthony Mary Claret gives us a criterion that can help us not to err: “excuse the intention when you cannot justify the deed”. It is the attitude and the intention of the people that must count. The Lord continually invites us to be “authentic”. We must look within ourselves to see what we are really like. And try to imitate the Lord not only outwardly, but mainly in having the same feelings as he had. To have the same attitudes as he had. From these, our actions will be born.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
From the attitudes of the Lord our deeds must be born
