Judgement. Does anybody here not struggle with judgment? Raise your hand. You don’t struggle with judgment (Father has a discussion with a parishioner)? You do? OK, good. I mean, if you don’t, if you know how to do this, please tell me (laughter). Thank you.
The wooden beam in our own eye (Father holds up a long wooden beam near his face). That’s how ridiculous judgment is. Jesus is using this really extreme example to help us realize that when we judge someone, we do not perceive the wooden beam in our own eye. This is how ridiculous that is.
So, I’m going to judge you for answering that question wrong. Let me get that splinter out of your eye (Father jokes with a parishioner).
But we judge? Why? Why do we see a little splinter in somebody’s eye and just think the worst about that person? Why do we condemn someone, or label someone them as just being a horrible person, and not perceive the beam in our own eye?
I know this is only heightened by social media culture. Do you know the one thing that drives engagement on social media? Do you know what type of posts get the most attention? Do you know what drives that? Yes, the mean ones. Judgment and Anger.
When we engage in things like that, steam just begins to pour out of our ears and we begin to judge: I can’t believe this person posted that, or I can’t believe this person believes that or whatever it may be. We don’t see the beam in our own eye.
But here’s the good news: Jesus doesn’t want us to walk around like this for the rest of our lives (holding the large wooden beam out from his eye). He says, “Remove the beam from your eye, and then you can remove the splinter from your brother’s or sister’s eye.” Remove the beam from your eye. When we find ourselves in judgement, it’s just good to realize that, okay, if I’m judging someone there’s probably a beam in my eye.
We’re about to experience Lent in a few days, Wednesday is coming up pretty quick, so it’s time to remove the beam from our eye. And the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are all ways of doing that. But the primary way is here at the Eucharist, when we come every moment at the beginning of mass and we admit our sinfulness and we ask God to remove the beam from our eye.
I think we have kind of lost the language of, remember venial sins and mortal sins? The pre- Vatican II people probably know that more. I think we have lost the language of grave sin. Jesus is revealing to us that judgement is a grave sin. Now, it’s not that we’re supposed to not judge actions, I mean lovingly. Parents, for example, will hopefully train (judge) their child, if necessary, right?
We have to remove the beam from our eye first. We can do that in the Sacrament of Confession when we unburden and acknowledge whatever that sin is.
As we celebrate this Eucharist, what’s the beam in your eye? What’s that serious sin in your life that causes judgement and condemnation of other people? I don’t think we realize the damage that comes forth from our mouths. We heard that in the first reading and the Gospel, that what comes forth from somebody’s mouth can do such damage. It’s not only the judgement, but it’s the spewing forth of anger and gossip and division that is so prevalent.
As we celebrate this Eucharist, let’s all just ask the Lord for ourselves that first of all to realize who the people are in my life that I have been judging and Lord can you help me realize the beam in my own eye so that it can be removed?
