“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”

matthew 7:3

Matthew 7:1-5

Reflection

Jesus tells his disciples to stop judging others, for they will then be judged the same way. He asks why they notice the splinter in another’s eye, but cannot perceive the wooden beam in their own. Therefore, they must remove the beam from their own eye first to see more clearly.

Every day we make hundreds of judgments. Some don’t involve other people and are practical judgments, like judging if the tomatoes outside are ripe enough to pick. However, this is not the type of judgment that Jesus is referring to. More commonly, we judge other people because of their appearance, speech, vehicle, demeanor, etc. We usually take one aspect of the person and make a conclusion based upon that, which often falls short and inaccurately.

The problem is that we do this almost subconsciously. We take that one piece we don’t like and maybe truly is a problem – the ‘splinter’ someone has, but then don’t realize that our own issue is much bigger – the ‘beam.’ So first, before that judgment takes place, examine yourself. Are there things in your life you could improve? Does someone walking by, when they make a judgment, see a Christian, someone exuding Christ’s love and joy?

Reflect on how you can work on removing the wooden beam from your eye. When it is gone, you will be better able to see others with Christ’s love and compassion, just the way he wants us to.

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Saint of the Day

St. Joseph Cafasso: 1811 – 1860

“Seek the world, if you will: vanity, pleasures, and earthly greatness; I neither seek nor long for anything else but to sanctify myself.” St. Joseph