Goodness From One's Heart

Goodness From One’s Heart

Lk 6: 39 – 45

8^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction

Our reading today highlights some of Jesus’ sayings about judging others and the cultivation of one’s inner spirit. Together, these sayings serve as important guides for our life as disciples of Jesus.

The Gospel

Our reading today teaches two important aspects of our life as followers of Jesus. The first one is about judging others. Jesus tells his disciples: “ Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”

Then Jesus continues: “ 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? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. “

This first part which deals with the subject about judging others goes straight to the point: we do not see clearly when we judge others; in fact, we become blind.  This is why Jesus begins by describing how the blind lead the blind. In Jesus’ mind, people who judge others are blind and that their judgments about others only serve to mislead people including themselves.

Because judgmental people are blind, they have this difficulty of seeing their own faults. This inability to see their own faults makes them incapable of owning and acknowledging their shortcomings. Ironically, while they can’t see their own faults, they seem to have a keen perception of others’ faults.

Being blind to one’s own faults while at the same time remaining perceptive of others’ faults, gives judgmental persons a disproportionate and distorted perspective of the world. Their inability to see the “wooden beam” in their own eye while seeing the “splinter” in their brother’s eye paints a ridiculous picture of how disproportionate and distorted their perspectives can be.

To these people, Jesus has this advise: “ Remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” A clear vision is the reward for those who acknowledge their faults first.

And what would be the consequences when judgmental people lead other people? Jesus describes the outcome by asking a question: “ Will not both fall into the pit?”

The second part of this gospel reading is about the cultivation of one’s inner spirit. Jesus says: “ A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. “

In saying this, Jesus tells us that all good things start from the store of goodness in one’s heart. This goodness which starts and is cultivated from the heart produces good. Similarly, all evil things start and proceed from the store of evil in one’s heart which consequently produces evil. For Jesus, everything starts from the heart. Even the mouth speaks what is inside one’s own heart.

Reflection

There is a common tendency for us all to see the faults of others. And what usually follows after seeing these faults is the judgment we give to the people who have them. While this seems to be quite normal for many, Jesus tells us today, that such behavior doesn’t help us grow.

In fact, Jesus says, this behavior makes us blind. Our tendency to judge people makes us blind because being judgmental makes us blind to our own faults. Judgmental people normally have an acute sense of finding what is wrong with others but are themselves unaware of their own faults. This is why, Jesus says, judgmental people are blind.

What is worse with judgmental people is that they are able to make other people believe in their judgments and opinions. When this happens, people who believe in them also become blind themselves because they too become keenly aware of other’s faults while remaining unaware of their own.

It is not surprising at all that judgmental people have this ability to persuade and influence other people and turn them judgmental themselves. When this happens, then what Jesus refers to as the “blind leading the blind” becomes a reality.

Jesus has harsh words for judgmental people. He not only calls them blind, he also calls them hypocrites! To these people Jesus has this advice: Look first at yourself, and look at your own faults first so that you can see clearly. Jesus tells us that our ability to look at ourselves and examine ourselves well will go a long way in making us see the world much better. Let us stop judging others because Jesus himself did not come to judge the world but to save it.

The second part of Jesus’ teaching has similar overtones with the first part. If Jesus wants us to look at ourselves first before we look at others, it is because he wants us to look deep inside our hearts first. For Jesus, it is in the heart where both good and evil spring up.

If we cultivate in our hearts that which is right, good and perfect, then our lives will manifest this goodness outwardly. This is why Jesus says that a good tree bears good fruit and cannot bear bad fruit. What is truly good from the inside will certainly manifest itself outwardly in a good way.  When we see something good in the world, this goodness comes from people whose hearts have cultivated what is truly good in their hearts.

On the other hand, if we allow evil to take hold of our hearts, this will show itself and manifest itself outwardly also through the evil that we do.

This gospel then urges us to take a good look at our hearts. The gospel  dissuades us at looking at others’ faults. Instead, it encourages us to look deep inside of us to become aware of our own faults.

By cultivating this constant inward movement of self awareness, we are able to cultivate and nurture an inner spirit and a heart that is attuned to what is good and perfect. Then, as Jesus says, this goodness which comes from one’s heart, will manifest itself outwardly through what we do.

Prayer

Dear Lord, it is true that I am judgmental. I am quick to see the faults of others and make immediate judgments about them. When, however, other people tell me my faults and judge me, I don’t like it. It just shows that I can’t accept what they say of me because I have become blind to my own faults.

I have spent so much time looking at the faults of others without even taking the time to examine myself and take a good look at my own shortcomings. Forgive me Lord. I have been blind. Help me see so that I can cultivate what is truly good in my heart. Amen.

“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. “ – James 4: 11

For reflections like this, go to my blog: thevineyardlaborer.blogspot.com