Guiding and judging

Listening to the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Lk 6:39-45

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.

"A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."

Reflection

Continuing with the Sermon on the Beatitudes, and after calling us to forgive and love our enemies and be merciful as his Father, Jesus tells us a brief parable about overcoming all kinds of hypocrisy when judging or wanting to correct the neighbor. A blind person cannot guide another blind person.

Our model is God Himself, who is merciful while judging. Fortunately, He does not focus on our mistakes or what we have done but on our sincere effort to go from evil to good and become better persons. That is why Jesus explains that the first thing we have to repair is our way of observing and judging. The comparison he uses is clear: I have to first get the wooden beam out of my eye before trying to get the splinter out of my brother's eye.

We must begin by detecting the affections, the ideas, the prejudices that can blind us or make our judgment wrong. We cannot find or discern the good and the truth if, for example, we lock ourselves into our previous ideas and postures. To know how to put it into practice, we need guidance, support, accompaniment so as not to remain in generalities or get discouraged by their demands. Our guide is the Holy Spirit, who always leads us along the paths of compassion, solidarity, love, personal dedication, truth, justice, encounter, and peace.

Finally, Jesus presents the parable of the fruits. Each tree is recognized by its fruits. Not because of the beautiful branches, its size, or because it adorns and looks good. Figs or clusters do not sprout from just any tree. If the heart brings out the good, kindness, forgiveness, solidarity, generosity, peace, justice, dignity, respect... it will mean that we are on the right path. And it will be noticed even in the words that come out of our mouths.