Homily – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Can the blind lead the blind?

Why do you observe the splinter in another’s eye and never notice the plank in your own?  How do you know that you are always right and others are wrong?

Today’s Gospel from St Luke follows immediately upon his beautiful explanation of unconditional love whereby we are to love even our enemies.  This kind of love is not natural.  It can come only with the blessing of God and as a result of much work and effort.  But this is precisely the challenge of today’s gospel for each one of us.  To be so positive of all people that we can accept them for who and what they are, that we can overcome those occasions when we tend to misjudge others, that we can appreciate the good in others and hope they can do the same for us.

When Jesus warned his own disciples about the danger of following the blind, he had the Pharisees particularly in mind.  You know that the Pharisees prided themselves on being experts in the Scriptures.  They were confident that they were qualified and able to tell other people how to live in obedience to God’s word.  But over and over, Jesus said that they were blind.

Observing the splinter in another’s eye and never noticing the plank in your own – Jesus speaks of fraternal correction with charity, truth and humility.  To speak to someone about their faults without charity, truth and humility is something like performing surgery without giving anaesthetic, resulting in a person with a painful wound that is hard to heal or even killing that person.

In this passage of the Gospel from Luke, Jesus invites us to speak with others or about others with humility or without hypocrisy.  If we must correct a tiny mistake of someone, consider that you have so many that are greater.  The Lord says this effectively: first take the log out of our own eye, and then we will see clearly to take out the speck from others.  Only in this way will you not be blind and be able to see clearly in order to truly help others.  Humility is important in order to recognise that we are a greater sinner than our friends and neighbours.

Pope Francis is very practical in the way he provides an example of how we can talk with one another about their faults.  He says that “we must proceed with much sensitivity like mothers and grandmothers when they talk to their own children and grandchildren”.  The Pope also carefully reminds us that fraternal correction is an act of healing when it comes with love, with charity, in truth and with humility.  Without them, we can bring offence and more damage into people’s heart and we are like a blind hypocrite. 

Let us celebrate this Sunday with an open heart that whenever we are going to talk about others or receive other’s opinions; we always proceed with charity, truth and humility.  

By Fr Trac Nguyen