Trong Tin Mừng ngày hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta phải biết cách sống trong mối liên hệ với những người khác. Nhiều người trong chúng ta có xu hướng là thích phán xét người khác, thích tỉm kiếm những lỗi lầm hoặc thiếu sót của người khác để sửa sai họ, những không chịu nhận ra những cái sai lầm của chính mình. Có những lần hoặc nhiều lần chúng ta có thể đã muốn sửa sai người khác trong âm thầm, nhưng cũng có lúc bốc đồng, có những người trong chúng ta có thể đã thể hiện sự phán xét và phán đoán người khác một cách công khai để gây sự chú ý cho mọi người biết tới những giới hạn của những người khác và hay để tỏ cho họ thấy sự thông minh của mình.
REFLECTION
In today's gospel Jesus is teaching us a way of living in relation to others. Perhaps we all have the experience of teaching others well because we have learned something ourselves. We cannot teach others what we have not learned ourselves. When we do have something to teach others, we still have to exercise caution. Many of us have a very human tendency to judge others, noticing their faults, mistakes, or shortcomings. We may have time and again did this in our hearts, but those of us who are impulsive may express this judgment by openly calling attention to the limitations of others.
Today Jesus asks us to be more charitable. We must always remember that we do not know what is going on in another person's heart, that we often do not have complete information, and that there may be a good explanation behind another person's actions. Let us not be slaves to our impulsive reactions. Instead, let us relate to others with the loving kindness and mercy of Jesus, who desires to draw all of us into himself.
Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” Luke 6:39
As we continue reading from Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, we encounter what is arguably the shortest parable in all of Scripture—just two brief rhetorical questions: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” Though concise, these lines present a powerful metaphor. Jesus places this parable within a broader moral discourse that warns against rash judgment and exhorts us to mercy. Just before today’s Gospel, He commands, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). In this context, the parable becomes a pointed reminder that those who are spiritually blind should not presume to lead others, lest they both stumble into error.
This parable illustrates the importance of interior conversion before we attempt to guide others in the moral life. If we are blinded by pride, sin, or ignorance, we risk not only hurting ourselves but leading others astray as well. In that case, our failure to change—rooted in self-deception—becomes a stumbling block for those we influence.
In a modern context, consider a counselor who gives harmful advice to someone in deep distress, a lawyer who misrepresents a client due to incompetence, or a doctor who negligently ignores clear signs of illness, resulting in greater suffering. In each case, the one entrusted with another’s care fails in his duty, not necessarily out of ignorance, but often due to pride, laziness, or complacency.
Spiritual blindness is even more dangerous. As the context of this parable suggests, it stems especially from judging, condemning, and refusing to forgive. These sins are destructive because they are cloaked in a false sense of righteousness. Judgment and condemnation foster pride, and pride blinds the soul to the profound depth of divine mercy we are called to extend—even toward those who have gravely wronged us.
Immediately following this parable, Jesus offers three maxims that apply directly to its message. First, He says, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” This affirms the need for humility and proper formation in the spiritual and moral life. We must become true disciples of Christ, submitting ourselves to His instruction, before presuming to teach or correct others in His name.
Second, Jesus asks, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” This descriptive image exposes the hypocrisy of focusing on the minor faults of others while remaining blind to our own far more serious sins.
Finally, He declares, “You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” Only when we are purified by grace—when the blinding beam is removed from our own spiritual eyes—can we assist others in seeing the truth. Then, and only then, will our guidance flow from charity rather than pride, from wisdom rather than presumption.
Reflect today on whether you try to guide others while remaining spiritually blind yourself. Consider moments when you may have judged, condemned, or withheld forgiveness, thinking you were justified. If so, recognize that Christ does not condemn you, but lovingly calls you to be healed by restoring your spiritual vision with His grace. Only through humility, honest self-examination, and sincere repentance can we be made clear-sighted and truly helpful to others.
Most humble and perfect Lord, in Your human nature, You were the perfect expression of the Father’s love, shining light into the darkness of our lives by revealing Your truth and mercy. Help me always to humble myself before You and to remain open to the formation You offer, so that I may not only draw closer to You, but also become a more faithful and powerful instrument of Your presence in the world. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I come before you asking for the light of your truth. Expose the hypocrisy that remains in my heart. Show me where I profess to follow you but fail to live according to your Word. Show me where I am quick to notice the faults of others but slow to recognize my own. Deliver me from the blindness that keeps me from seeing myself as I truly am. Give me the humility to receive your correction, the wisdom to see all things from your perspective, and the grace to allow you to transform my heart.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Spiritual Blindness and Sight: Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain” continues with a series of images that build upon one another. He first asks, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” The image warns us against the presumption that we see clearly when, in fact, our vision may be distorted. Jesus has just commanded his disciples to stop judging others and instead to be merciful like God the Father. Spiritual blindness is one reason we must be cautious in judging our neighbor. We rarely possess all the information necessary to understand another person completely. We do not know everything that is happening in another person’s heart, nor do we always know the circumstances, wounds, temptations, or intentions that have influenced a particular decision. God alone sees the heart perfectly. When we recognize our own limited vision, we become less presumptuous and can be more patient and merciful toward others. We begin to understand that we need God’s light before we can hope to see others rightly. The gift of wisdom enables us to judge and order things according to God’s perspective rather than according to our own limited understanding. The first step toward becoming a trustworthy guide for others, therefore, is admitting that we ourselves need to be guided. The disciple begins by saying, “Lord, help me to see.”
2. Disciples and Teachers: Jesus then moves from blindness to another image: “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” The image deepens the call to humility. The disciple is not someone who has already arrived. They are someone who has placed themself under the instruction of another. This is particularly true of the Christian disciple, whose teacher is Jesus himself. The arrogant disciple assumes that they already see clearly and have little left to learn. The humble disciple recognizes that their understanding, desires, judgments, and actions still need to be formed by Christ. Humility does not mean thinking poorly of oneself or practicing self-deprecation. It means seeing oneself truthfully before God. A disciple knows both the gifts God has given them and the areas in which they still need to grow. Even when they have been “fully trained,” they do not become superior to his teacher. They become like their teacher. This is the goal of Christian formation. We are not simply trying to acquire more religious information. We are allowing Christ to conform our entire existence to his own. We want to think as he thinks, desire what he desires, love as he loves, and act as he acts. There is always room for deeper conformity to Christ. The disciple who knows that they are still being formed will be patient with others who are also still being formed.
3. The Splinter and the Beam: The third image brings the first two together: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” Jesus is not saying that we should never help another person overcome sin or sinful habits. Rather, he exposes the hypocrisy of trying to correct another person while refusing to allow God to correct us. The blind person cannot safely guide another. The disciple must first be formed by the Teacher. And the person who wants to help their brother or sister see must first allow Christ to remove the obstruction from their own vision. Sin is like a beam lodged in the eye: it distorts our vision of reality. It can make another person’s faults appear enormous while making our own seem insignificant. Pride, resentment, envy, anger, or self-righteousness can prevent us from seeing our neighbor with mercy. We may even convince ourselves that our criticism is motivated by love when it is actually motivated by false superiority. Jesus therefore says, “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” There is an important order here. Christian correction must begin with conversion of heart. The one who has allowed Christ to expose and heal his own sin can become an instrument of healing for others. The goal is not to become blind to the sins of others, but to receive from Christ a purified vision – a vision capable of seeing both truth and mercy. Only then can we genuinely help our brothers and sisters along the path to salvation.
“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” Luke 6:41
Saint Teresa of Ávila, one of the greatest spiritual writers and doctors of the Church, explains in her spiritual masterpiece “Interior Castles,” that one of the first steps on the path to holiness is self-knowledge. Self-knowledge produces humility, because humility is simply having a true opinion about yourself. When a person fails to know themself from the true perspective of the mind of God, then they open themselves up to many errors of judgment. One such error is that they can easily become fixated upon their perceived sins of others.
The Gospel passage quoted above depicts a person who gravely lacks self-knowledge. Why? Because they “do not perceive the wooden beam” in their own eye, meaning, they do not see their own sin. As a result, Jesus explains that this person also becomes fixated upon the “splinter” in their brother’s eye.
When you consider your own thoughts, what do you dwell upon the most all day long? Do you honestly look inward, seeking to know yourself as God knows you? Or do you spend excessive time thinking about others, analyzing and judging their actions? This is an important question to ask yourself and to answer with honesty.
The best way to know yourself is to gaze upon Jesus. When He becomes the focus of your attention throughout the day, you will not only come to know Him, but you will also come to know yourself more honestly. Gazing at the beauty and perfection of our Lord will have the double effect of knowing Him and knowing yourself through His eyes. It will also help you to know others as He sees them.
How does Jesus look at those around you? He looks at them with perpetual mercy. True, at the end of every life, when we pass from this world to the next, we will encounter our particular judgment from our Lord. But while here on earth, God continually gazes upon us with mercy. For that reason, mercy must become our daily mission, and we must build a habit of gazing upon everyone in our life with the eyes of mercy.
Reflect, today, upon our Lord. Look at Him, gaze upon Him, seek to know Him and make Him the focus of your attention. As you do, try to dismiss from your thinking process your own perceived judgments of others. Allow your gaze upon our Lord to help you to not only see Him but to also see others through His eyes. Build this habit and you will be on the fast track to the path to holiness.
My merciful Jesus, may I build a humble and true habit of gazing upon You in Your splendor and beauty. As I see You, day in and day out, please also help me to see myself through Your eyes of mercy so that I will also grow in humility. Please remove all judgment from my heart so that I will be free to know and love all people as You know and love them. Jesus, I trust in You.
Reflection Friday 23rd Ordinary Time 2025
1. Spiritual Blindness and Sight: Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke includes a parable. The images of the parable build on one another quickly. Jesus asks: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” This image puts us on guard against being overconfident that we see everything clearly. Jesus has just commanded his hearers to stop judging and to be merciful. When we are patient and gentle in our judgments, it is largely because we realize we don’t have all the information. We do not know easily what is in another person’s heart or what things led up to their decision to act or not to act, to sin or to do good. It is by recognizing our spiritual blindness that we can humbly ask in prayer for the light of faith and divine wisdom. In fact, wisdom is the gift that enables us to judge and order things from God’s perspective.
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