Friday, September 13, 2013
23rd Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 441
Luke 6:39-42
Integrity
[39] He (Jesus) told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? [40] A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. [41] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your eye? [42] 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 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."
Cited in the
Catechism: In declaring the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Blessed John Paul II explained
that the Catechism "is a
statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or
illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church's
Magisterium." He went on to "declare it to be a sure norm for
teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial
communion" (Fidei
Depositum). Similar passages to this Gospel reading are cited and explained
in the Catechism paragraphs 678, 1454 and 2763.
Commentary:
[None for Luke 6:39-42. Below is a commentary on a similar theme from Matthew 7:1-5:]
1. Jesus is condemning any rash judgments we make maliciously or carelessly about our brothers' behavior or feelings or motives. "Think badly and you will not be far wrong" is completely at odds with Jesus' teaching.
In speaking of Christian charity St. Paul lists its main features: "Love is patient and kind [...]. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5, 7). Therefore, "Never think badly of anyone, not even if the words or conduct of the person in question give you good grounds for doing so" (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 442).
"Let us be slow to judge. Each one sees things from his own point of view, as his mind, with all its limitations, tells him, and through eyes that are often dimmed and clouded by passion" (The Way, 451).
1-2. As elsewhere, the verbs in the passive voice ("you will be judged", "the mea- sure you will be given") have God as their subject, even though He is not explicitly mentioned: "Do not judge others, that you be not judged by God". Clearly the judgment referred to here is always a condemnatory judgment; therefore, if we do not want to be condemned by God, we should never condemn our neighbor. "God measures out according as we measure out and forgives as we forgive, and comes to our rescue with the same tenderness as He sees us having towards others" (Fray Luis de Leon, Exposicion Del Libro De Job, chapter 29).
3-5. A person whose sight is distorted sees things as deformed, even though in fact they are not deformed. St. Augustine gives this advice: "Try to acquire those virtues which you think your brothers lack, and you will no longer see their defects, because you will not have them yourselves" (Enarrationes In Psalmos, 30, 2, 7). In this connection, the saying, "A thief thinks that everyone else is a thief" is in line with this teaching of Jesus.
Besides: "To criticize, to destroy, is not difficult; any unskilled laborer knows how to drive his pick into the noble and finely-hewn stone of a cathedral. To construct that is what requires the skill of a master" (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 456).
Source: The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries.
Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co.
Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage
readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter
Publishers for details.
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