The gospel from Monday of the 12th week in Ordinary Time is taken from Matthew, seventh chapter, first through the fifth verse. Jesus said to his disciples, stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged. And the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me remove that splinter from your eye while the wooden beam is in your eye, you hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your own eye first, then you will see clearly drew the splinter from your brother’s eye.

What Jesus is doing is making a very simple truth evident. When we judge others, it’s often because they are in some way representing something in us that we haven’t really faced. Why would we not face things when we think about our relationship with God? He is mercy. He is forgiveness. So we need to examine very carefully whenever we’re caught in that spirit of judgment, to question it and to know that there’s another way.

A way of love, a way of forgiveness, a way of understanding. The closing prayer. Father, you are forgiveness. Yet so often we hide our weaknesses from those that we feel want us to be more than we are. We’re not as honest as we should be. Give us the honesty to face our weaknesses and know your love and your forgiveness so we can offer that gift to others.

And we ask this in Jesus name, amen.