Daily Gospel Reflection for September 13, 2019

Today's Gospel: Luke 6:39-42 - Memorial of St. John Chrysostom It happens more often than I’d like to admit. I jump to a conclusion about why someone behaved the way he did, or why she said what she did, or I simply think a little less of someone based on one choice he made. And then I hear their whole story. Or I learn about a huge cross they are bearing. And I begin to understand. This doesn’t mean that I excuse or accept sinful behavior. But when I remove the beam of judgement from my own eye, I am able to see where the splinter in my brother’s eye came from. I am able to see how to delicately help him remove it, while remaining sensitive to the rest of his being. We are all sinful. We are all misjudged at times. And the intentions of our hearts are so often veiled by the clumsiness of our actions. When I remember that everyone has a story, and everyone has a cross to bear, I remember that we are all on this journey to heaven together. No one person has any more capacity for holiness than anyone else. We all fall, and we all get up again. We are all riddled with beams and splinters. And when we take the time to receive mercy ourselves, it is that much easier to show mercy to others.

Ponder:

How long has it been since you’ve gone to confession? How might a good examination of your own conscience help you to be more sympathetic to the spiritual battles of others?