"Wooden Beams" or "Splinters"

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6: 39-42, Jesus challenges us concerning assuming the position of judging others, of noticing “the splinter” in our brothers’ or sisters’ eyes but not seeing “the wooden beam” in our own.  “You hypocrite,” Jesus says, “[r]emove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s [sister’s] eye.”
In the first reading, 1 Timothy 1: 1-2, 12-14, we hear of Paul, from whom the Lord Himself removed the wooden beam obstructing His vision of who Jesus is. Paul expresses gratitude to the Lord that he was set free from his blindness and considered worthy to be Christ’s ambassador, a bearer of the Good News of  salvation to us Gentiles.  He admits that before his conversion he was “a blasphemer,” “a persecutor” and an “arrogant man.”  God was merciful to him, he states, because he “acted out of ignorance” in “his disbelief.”   “Indeed,” he says, “the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
What “wooden beams” do I need to take out of my eye?  From what blindness do I need healing?  Who do I persecute by my arrogance? About whose “splinter” do I gossip while being blind to the huge pieces of wood blurring my vision? Like Paul, I, too, know that many times I act out of ignorance—“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”—but at other times I know that I am being arrogant and a persecutor of other persons by my silence, perhaps, or by speaking behind their backs or simply not being honest with them in ways that would remove obstructions to our growth in love, in honesty, in respect and integrity.

God Wills Your Wholeness

St. Paul reminds us in today’s first reading, 1 Thes 4: 1-8, that God’s will for us is our “holiness.”  God wills our integrity, our transparency, our wholeness, our honesty, our purity, our simplicity; in short,  our sacred commitment to Truth, to Life, to  Christ--the way to the Father.  God wills that we again become childlike: innocent, awe-filled, loving and trusting, inclusive, transparent, faith-filled and hope-filled.  God desires that you and I refrain from immoral acts: acts of evil intent, malicious acts, hate-filled acts; that we refrain from deceitfulness and from all that is contrary to godliness, to loving and forgiving as God loves and forgives us.  God wills our good. 

What do you will for yourself and others?  Is your will worthy of being carried out in actuality, that is, are your actions and attitudes in sync with your innermost desires, those that come from your God-self, or are they aligned with the propensity to act contrary to God's will, to succumb to the weakness of sin that exist within each one of us?

Confidence and Transparency

In both of today’s readings, Gen. 17: 1, 9-10, 15-22 and Mt 8: 1-4, we witness two people being transparent with the Lord.  The result is amazing, revealing how God relates to persons who are humble, sincere and open in their communication with the Lord. A mutual confidence and caring exchange occurs. In Gen. Abram laughs when God says that Abram, now 100 years of age, and Sarah, 99, will bear a child. Abram says to God: “Bless Ishmael instead.”  God does so9 but also blesses Abram and Sarah, keeping His covenant with them.  In the Gospel, a leper, an outcast of society, approaches Jesus and says: “If you wish, you can heal me.” And Jesus does just that.

Normalcy is ignored and/or transcended in both cases.  It wasn’t normal for a couple to be fertile in advanced years nor was it, according to societal norms in Jesus’ time for a leper to approach Jesus or for Jesus to enter into a relationship with a leper.  Both the leper and Jesus ignore these norms and God’s compassion to the lowliest of people is revealed.

How confident am I in approaching the Lord and honestly expressing my concerns?  Do I wish to be healed?  Do I ask that others be blessed? If not, why not?

The Importance of Honesty in Relationships

In today’s Gospel,  Mk 11: 27-33, the chief priests, the scribes and the elders pose a question to Jesus: “By what authority are you doing these things?” He comes back with a question for them and tells them he will respond to their questioning,  revealing  Himself to them, if they are honest with Him. His question to them is:  “Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?” Their response “we do not know” is a cover-up of their truth. So the discussion ends and so does any possibility of getting to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

 Without honesty, God cannot relate to us; our relationship with God is stymied.  God is truth; He deals in reality, not in fantasy or denial.  How honest am I with God and others?  Or do I hide what I am thinking and feeling?  If so, the relationship freezes in that time and place.  Love and authentic intimacy on a spiritual, emotional and intellectual plane is contingent on how transparent we are with one another.  If I am being dishonest, I need to look at what am I hiding and  of what am I afraid?  To “thaw out” and become fully human, I need to answer those questions with God and with others!