The Blind Leading the Blind by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568 (Public Domain)
First reading Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8
The test of a man is in his conversation
In a shaken sieve the rubbish is left behind,
so too the defects of a man appear in his talk.
The kiln tests the work of the potter,
the test of a man is in his conversation.
The orchard where a tree grows is judged on the quality of its fruit,
similarly a man’s words betray what he feels.
Do not praise a man before he has spoken,
since this is the test of men.
Responsorial Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Second reading 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Death is swallowed up in victory
When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Never give in then, my dear brothers, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord’s work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain.
Gospel Luke 6:39-45
Can the blind lead the blind?
Jesus told a parable to his disciples: ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.
‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’
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No to judging, yes to kindness
Let us take time to examine ourselves as we ponder upon these words of Jesus, “Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the great log in your own?”. Jesus is not telling us to be blind towards others’ faults, but instead, He stresses the importance of us needing to take note of our own failings first. When we know the many logs of inadequacies we have, we will become less judgemental and more gentle in our dealings with people. The problem is that we tend to focus on others’ weaknesses and judge them by putting them down, gossiping about them, etc. Thus, as our Master and Teacher, Jesus wants us to be more kind towards others.
“Good people draw what is good from the store of goodness in their hearts…”. As Jesus’ disciples, we must strive for coherence in the sense that who we are inside and what we do outside must be the same. It is not just about doing good deeds but having an honest and pure heart like Jesus.
Question for reflection:
Am I ready to follow Jesus in the way He loves?
Am I ready to follow Jesus in the way He loves?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
