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Dear Parish Family,
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.”
Psychologists tell us that often those things we most dislike in others tend to be our own undesirable characteristics. Jesus says that we should look within ourselves before we blame others. We should be more concerned about the goodness of our own hearts than about the misdeeds of others.
In last Sunday’s reading, Jesus told us not to judge. We may judge people’s actions, but not the people themselves. We cannot read hearts and minds, not completely. And yet, people do things that offends or outrages us. We can’t ignore what’s right in front of our eyes. Righteous anger is all right; Jesus himself showed it from time to time. But we must not let our anger eat us up. One thing that can help is to look within ourselves and admit our own failings; this can help us to be more tolerant. Sometimes people can be so deluded, so unaware of their own shortcomings, that when they criticize others, Jesus calls them hypocrites. That’s strong language! Most of us are not that blind, just a bit nearsighted.
What makes us so tolerant toward ourselves? We know we’re weak and we know we mess up from time to time. But we know that inside us there’s a basically good person. Well, Jesus says maybe that’s true of the other person as well. Dealing with our anger at others is often difficult because it involves not just our thoughts but also our emotions, which are subject to our control. There are some wounds that only time can heal. Just getting older can be a help. It’s not a guarantee since some old people just get more and more bitter. But there are some happy stories of reconciliation. Older folks know this from experience. They look back on some of the battles they waged in their younger years and wonder why they seemed so important at that time. It’s not just a matter of mellowing out but a gaining of perspective, a ripening into wisdom. If they could relive those stormy times, they’d try to be more tolerant and understanding.
Let’s not wait until the twilight of our years, but take Jesus’ words to heart today. Let’s pray for one another. Let’s ask the Lord to heal our nearsightedness, to help us see ourselves as he does. After all, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Then we will be healthy trees that bring forth good fruit. And out of the fullness of our hearts, our mouths will speak only what is good.
Are there any ways in which you tend to be too easy on yourself or too hard on others?
Dcn Rob Pang