8th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
One of the greatest challenges we have as human beings is the vice of being judgmental towards others, which can come in the disguise of being incompassionate to others. Many times we lack compassion for others and tend to judge people quickly especially when we do not like them or don’t agree with them or when we cannot control them. Jesus condemns this vice of being incompassionate and of judging others in today’s gospel reading from the Gospel of Saint Luke 6:39-42 by saying "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." So when we judge others, we expose ourselves of our hypocrisy because we are not perfect. We make ourselves righteous when we judge others because we are putting ourselves over others. So Jesus reminds us today to stop such practices and change our lives by being more compassionate with others.
But how can we get rid of this age old practice of judging others that destroys our relationship with God? What significant changes can we make in our spiritual lives to better ourselves as Christians? What can we do to overcome and get rid of this evil habit of condemning others? We can change our lives in this regard:
Firstly, by doing an examination of Conscience, to find out our own faults and our sins,
Secondly, by accepting our faults and sins as things that separate us from God and destroys our relationship with Him,
Thirdly, by going to Confession to confess our sins and to receive pardon and forgiveness for our sins,
Lastly, by working hard everyday to live out the gospel of Christ.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to better ourselves as Christians by being forgiving, compassionate and loving towards others as Gos is to us. Amen!
