Friday September 13, 2024

Luke 6:39-42

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.’

These are some very tough words coming from our gentle Jesus. Looking at scripture we can very quickly find out some of the things that frustrated him. Certainly using religion as a weapon to punish others was one of them. I want to think that our Lord asked this question of himself often “how could I have done better in that situation?”

An adult spirituality is really one that seeks to improve the self. There is so much we do not know about other people. We do not know what trauma has shaped their lives or why one would act this or that way. When I was in the minor seminary with the Jesuits they invited us every evening before night prayer or as part of night prayer to do an examination of conscious. That is a great practice.

Fr Chibundi