“‘…You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.’” (Luke 6:39-42).
I heard a joke the other day, and it goes like this…
A young boy came home from school with his maths exam. He had done very poorly in that maths exam and his teacher had asked him to show his father and mother. His father looked at the exam and we very upset with the failed grade of that exam and remonstrated with the boy saying, “This is unacceptable, and this deserves severe punishment.” The young boy agreed saying, “I agree Dad, and the good news is that I knew exactly where the teacher lives…”
Now, it is a silly joke and a little bit funny, but it does sort of illustrate an important point…
And the point is this… It is always easier to get someone else to change rather than to change myself. As my children were much younger, I started to notice that they responded by shouting and screaming when they did not get what they wanted. And when that happened, I would go and complain to my own mother about this behaviour. And my mother always listened attentively. And at the end of the conversation, she would ask, “And how do you behave when you do not get what you want?”
And – sadly – she was right… My children were mirroring my own poor behaviour when things did not go my way. And over time I learned – a little bit – how to control my temper when things went awry, until I was able to set a semi-decent example for my children of what half-decent behaviour should look like…
And I think of this today as I think of Christ’s parables…
“He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? ... Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.’” (Luke 6:39-42).
Saint Augustine preached that the defects we see in others are often just a reflection of our own failings… He advised that we should examine our own defects and if we are able to consider our own defects, we will be able to have more patience and mercy for others because it is our own failings that distress us, more than the failings of others…
And I have been thinking about that today, because it seems to me that I am blinded by the log in my own eye, and yet, even so, I have not stopped in my examination of the eyes of others…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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