Today, we are reminded in the Gospel passage to be truly faithful to the Lord and not be like the hypocrites. It is easy to see the splinter in our neighbor’s eye and to fail to see the wooden beam in our own. Do I pride myself on my achievements? Do I feel superiority and look down on others around me?
Am I so petty in picking out the faults, mistakes, and the flaws in others?
Am I filled with wickedness. Am I full of it?
Am I rather empty and meaningless as per being a good Christian.
What is necessary in following the Lord is being truly faithful and committed to the Lord in all things. Following the good Lord by only paying lip service to His teachings and commandments is hypocrisy. Our prayer should be “Thou will be done”.
Abram (Abraham) was presented to us today in the first reading as a model for faithfulness. When he was called, he left everything to answer his call. He left everything that he was familiar with, his relatives and family, his ancestral place and more, and embarked on the lifelong journey of following God. Despite not knowing and not aware of what the Lord had in mind or planned for him, Abraham chose to trust the Lord anyway, knowing that God would always provide.
God would later test his faith later by asking him to sacrifice the son whom God eventually gave to him, Isaac. Abraham chose to obey even when that decision must have been very difficult for him to make.
The Lord wants us to examine ourselves carefully before turning the spotlight of criticism on others. We need to be in touch with our own humanity before we offer a judgement on others. Like Abraham, may we be steadfast to our vocation. May we lift a helping hand, a hand of mercy, and not of criticism to those around us.
Have a blessed week!
