Luke 6:39-42

1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14

Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

Luke 6:39-42

Jesus told his disciples a parable:

“Can a blind person guide a blind person?

Will not both fall into a pit?

No disciple is superior to the teacher;

but when fully trained,

every disciple will be like his teacher.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,

but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

How can you say to your brother,

‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’

when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?

You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;

then you will see clearly

to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I once again ask that you enlighten me so that I can eradicate all hypocrisy from my life. Show me where I profess one thing and do another. Show me where I judge the faults of others and am blind to my own faults. Grant me your grace and soften the hardness of my heart.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Spiritual Blindness and Sight: Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke includes a parable. The images of the parable build on one another quickly. Jesus asks: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” This image puts us on guard against being overconfident that we see everything clearly. Jesus has just commanded his hearers to stop judging and to be merciful. When we are patient and gentle in our judgments, it is largely because we realize we don’t have all the information. We do not know easily what is in another person’s heart or what things led up to their decision to act or not to act, to sin or to do good. It is by recognizing our spiritual blindness that we can humbly ask in prayer for the light of faith and divine wisdom. In fact, wisdom is the gift that enables us to judge and order things from God’s perspective.

2. Disciples and Teachers: The second image in the parable contrasts a disciple at the beginning of their training and a “fully trained” disciple. Once again, this is an invitation to humility and patience. The arrogant disciple thinks highly of themselves and thinks they know more than their teacher. The proper attitude of a disciple, especially when the teacher is the Lord Jesus, is always one of humility. Humility is not self-deprecation. It is having a true image and assessment of oneself. A disciple of Jesus can always learn more. Even when “fully trained,” the disciple will not surpass Jesus the teacher, but only be like Jesus. We can always be more conformed to Jesus in our way of thinking, in our sentiments and emotions, and in our actions. The third image builds on the two we have considered. Only with the spiritual light of faith can we see clearly enough to guide others. Only having been fully trained by Jesus can we see things as Jesus does. Only by removing the wooden beam of sin and vice from our eyes can we see clearly enough to help our brothers and sisters remove the bothersome splinter from their eyes. 

3. Grace, Mercy, and Peace: Yesterday, we finished reading Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Today, we begin to read First Timothy, one of Paul’s three “Pastoral Epistles.” These were letters Paul sent to his coworkers, Timothy and Titus. They gave advice on how they were to set up and lead the pastoral governance of the Churches of Crete and Ephesus. In First Timothy, we learn that Paul wrote from prison and knew that he was nearing the end of his life. Thus, the three letters have the tone of a last will and testament. In the First Reading, Paul reflects on his past life and how Jesus has changed his life. Paul was “once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man.” When he persecuted the followers of Jesus, he acted out of ignorance in his unbelief. All of that changed when he encountered the risen Lord on the way to Damascus. Now, Paul is grateful to Christ, who has strengthened him with his abundant grace and the virtues of faith and charity. Paul is humbled by the fact that he has been mercifully treated by God. Paul now approaches his death with peace and is filled with hope because of the Lord Jesus. One lesson we can learn from these opening paragraphs is how Paul is not complaining about his lot. He is not discouraged by being in prison or having suffered so much. His thoughts are not self-centered, but concerned for his coworkers ministering in the newly-founded Churches.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me remove the wooden beam from my eye and see clearly. I want to contemplate all things with the help of divine wisdom. I want to see my own faults and sins clearly so that I can truly help others on the path to salvation.

Living the Word of God: If Paul were to write me and my family a letter, what would be some of its contents? What moral exhortations would he make? What would he thank God for? What would he admonish?