When I was a kid, we used to love watching the "The Three Stooges." It's a special genre, the old vaudevillian, exaggerated physical comedy; "The Three Stooges" featuring Moe, Larry, and Curley. The question from today’s gospel, "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye", always makes me smile and think about that classic show - but also the reality of how I'm doing when it comes to "measuring" my own faults.
This passage was a favorite in seminary in Boston; we often used it to help a brother seminarian "see" how he had become overly critical of others. It also reminded me of how this can happen in our families.
The more we interact, the more history we have... the easier it is to become very aware of each other’s struggles to follow the teachings of Jesus.
The imagery is great. Imagine you’re walking around with a 2x4 wooden beam in your eye, blocking out almost all of your vision - but somehow - you’re focused on a splinter in somebody else's eye, a tiny fraction of what you’re walking around with in your own eye! Then you offer to help your family member with their splinter!
Jesus doesn’t mince words; He calls out the hypocrisy and then shows us the way, by telling us to remove the wooden beam from our eye first.
Last week, I asked Peter Hayes, a Stonehill Intern to read and write on today’s readings. He gave a wonderful reflection that said in part, "We humans are quick to judge others flaws without fully realizing our own imperfections that we must work on."
The Lord is calling us to acknowledge our struggles and remember that we need God’s grace for forgiveness and growth.
Peter also pointed to the first reading where God called Abraham make a journey of faith to a new land. This was a gift that God gave Abraham which he could share with the world.
It reminds us that we are called to use our God-given gifts to help one another; beginning at home, and then going outward.
We share these gifts in remembrance of God’s goodness and then give glory to God for the positive impact they bring.
Thanks, Peter, for reminding us, to look at both our struggles and gifts, when we meet one another at home, work or school, or in our communities. May we be the blessing to each other by the examples we set by using our gifts to help one another, beginning with our own beam removal.
