Word to the Wise
Friday, September 12, 2025 - Friday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Tim 1:1-2, 12-14 and Luke 6:39-42]"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." [Luke]
In the past, if this particular passage from the Gospel According to Luke showed up, I'd look for an old piece of wood with visible splinters on the parish property and pass it around while I was preaching! There are always plenty of personal beams and splinters to consider in the light of Jesus' words. One aspect may be that the splinter in the other person's eye happens to be from the wooden beam in our own. In other words, the fault we dislike in someone else is really a fault that we are unaware that we have as well!!! It may be a desire on our part to make someone else in our own image and likeness!
The power of the gospels lies in the way they go from surface behavior to interior motives and feelings and desires. External behavior can be changed by sheer will power, but if this leaves untouched the interior thoughts and motivations, the conflict will be very difficult to live with for long. Jesus challenges the whole person so that the outside matches the inside. A good word for this is INTEGRITY. Maintaining it is a lifetime process of conversion. AMEN