The plank in your own eye

The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C 

Collect 

Grant us, O Lord, we pray, that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and that your Church may rejoice, untroubled in her devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Sir 27:4-7

Praise no one before he speaks.

A reading from the Book of Sirach

When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
   so do one’s faults when one speaks.
As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
   so in tribulation is the test of the just.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
   so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind.
Praise no one before he speaks,
   for it is then that people are tested.

The word of the Lord.

Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. :

℟. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
   to sing praise to your name, Most High,
to proclaim your kindness at dawn
   and your faithfulness throughout the night.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
   like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
   shall flourish in the courts of our God.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

They shall bear fruit even in old age;
   vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
declaring how just is the LORD,
   my rock, in whom there is no wrong.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

1 Cor 15:54-58

God gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:
When this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
   and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
   then the word that is written shall come about:
   Death is swallowed up in victory.
      Where, O death, is your victory?
      Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
   and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
   through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters,
   be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord,
   knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Phil 2:15d, 16a

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Lk 6:39-42

From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

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?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your own 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.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection 

For the third consecutive Sunday, Jesus is offering us profoundly challenging words, full of wisdom. These words help us become better people when we seriously pray on them, allowing them to challenge us and illuminate our path to rediscover our faith and learn how to truly love. This is a process, and like every process there are discoveries—some good, others not so pleasant—which we must grasp well, as they could easily bring negative consequences upon us and others.|

It can be said that we are all blind as long as we continue believing that we are better than others and that we are always in the right. It would be wise to avoid guiding others before we have earnestly examined ourselves.

Whoever works with or for Jesus Christ, must be prepared to receive applause as well as jeers. This is what Our Lord experienced! This is not a question of fear, but it strongly challenges our purity of intention: For whom am I working? For what am I working?  

If the speck in your brother’s eye bothers you, it may be pointing towards the hidden defects within yourself (the plank) that you have been concealing for a long time by pointing out or revealing your brother’s speck. 

External matters that distract us, even if we give them the least importance, are not the only things that hinder the Christian’s journey of faith. What destroys us are those things that come from within. This is what makes us uncomfortable with ourselves, and, instead of endeavouring to overcome our discomfort through prayer, wise counsel, reflection on the Word of God, and by approaching the Sacraments, we find excuses that we do not have any time for these things. 

And so, what do we end up doing? We do what comes easily but is degrading at the same time: we project our defects upon others through prejudices and empty words, hiding behind a screen and writing whatever comes to mind without the least concern for whom we may upset. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Today’s Gospel truly has a message that challenges us! 

When was the last time you made a sincere examination of conscience? 

When was the last time you genuinely faced the discomforts within yourself and attempted to overcome them? 

When was the last time you remembered that God loves you and wants you to become a better person? 

Do not be afraid to make room for God in your life. Do not be afraid to trust him totally. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, you rose from the dead for us to make us into new people. Help us to truly recognise who we are. Give us the courage to face our discomforts, so that, with you and through you, we can be made new, full of genuine faith and love. Amen. 

 

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