Jesus reveals the absurdity of condemning others and urges men to purify their hearts and be fruitful. Every Catholic man can grow in happiness by building the Virtue of Prudence so he can live out the Truth of Christ and by seeking the Gift of Piety from the Holy Spirit so he can always strive for holiness and bear good fruit.
Liturgy
8th Week in Ordinary Time – Sunday – Cycle C – Lk 6:39-45
Commentary
After exhorting men to love enemies and avoid judging others, Jesus continues with His Sermon on the Plain by explaining why it is absurd for imperfect men to judge others. Referring to the powerful, flawed, and highly judgmental Pharisees, Jesus warns His disciples about false teachers who are “blind”, who will lead their naive (blind) followers to the destruction of the “pit”, an allusion to Hell. The Pharisees are blind to their own sins (lack of mercy, prideful piety, tyrannical rule) and relentlessly judgmental; Jesus warns all men that they must not follow sinful men, for they too will become sinful like their teachers.
Jesus tells a humorous anecdote, which shows the absurdity of judging another man, when the “judger” is blinded by his own sin. Making it personal (“You”), Jesus asks why a man obsesses (seeing a “speck”) with finding the sins of a brother while overlooking his own grievous (a “log”) sins. Jesus rebukes men who judge others as “hypocrites”, literally an actor or pretender, who are mired in sin but, in their self-righteous blindness, are focused on judging others. Instead, Jesus instructs men to rigorously examine their own numerous sins and seek holiness (taking out the log) and, then and only then, to gently help others grow in holiness.
Jesus defines what characterizes His disciples and those who are evil. The disciples of Jesus live lives of goodness (good trees which bear grapes and figs) because Jesus lives within them (good treasure of the heart). Evil men live evil lives (thorn or bramble bushes which produce only thorns) because they embrace evil (the treasure in their heart is a love of evil). Jesus reveals that men’s outward acts of good or evil are the result of the state of a man’s heart (inner life).
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Marvel at Jesus, the Divine Prophet and the perfection of Truth (a part of Justice), as He Warns men to avoid blind teachers (who do not teach the Truth), a warning that continues to be especially urgent during these days, 2000 years after the Incarnation, when men are living in an Age of Lies.
Be prudent and live the Truth of Christ
Realize: Today, many with worldly power have rejected God, and, because they now blindly follow Satan, are prone to significant erroneous judgment and they coercively promote evil and increasingly insane ideas which defy God, reason, science, and even common sense; many men do not recognize the growing evil, are losing the ability to know the difference between good and evil on fundamental questions of morality, and are falling into all kinds of mortal sin.
Believe: Reflect upon Erroneous Judgment (CCC 1790-1794).
Pray: Jesus, Perfection of Prudence, help me build the Virtue of Prudence, so I know, understand and accept Your Truth, make right judgments based on Your truth, and live my life in accordance with Your Holy Will as perfectly preserved in Your Holy Catholic Church.
Strive for holiness and to bear good fruit
Realize: Jesus warns of the necessity to grow in holiness so that a man can bear good fruit and the horrific consequences of Hell (the fire) for those who bear rotten fruit; holy hearts bear holy fruit and are preparing for Heaven, and rotten hearts bear rotten fruit and are preparing for Hell.
Believe: Reflect upon Seeking Christian Holiness (CCC 2012-2016).
Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Gift of Piety so that I always am inspired and strengthened to grow in holiness, I diligently practice the Catholic faith, and I bear abundant good fruit to help build Your Kingdom.