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 pursuing the Virtue of Vindication so he holds himself accountable before God for breaking The 10 Commandments.
Liturgy
23rd Week in Ordinary time – Friday – Lk 6:39-42
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 not only rebukes the Pharisees, calling them “blind” and “hypocrites”, but mocks them with the absurd example of blindly walking around with a log in their eyes. Jesus, knowing His audience toils under the tyranny of the Pharisees, uses humor to give men the basis for turning away from the rigid piousness of the Pharisees.
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.
Be accountable to God for sins against His 10 Commandments
Realize: Many in the modern world reject and mock The 10 Commandments and the idea of sin, but hypocritically make up their own confused list of “sins” to judge, condemn, and “cancel” those they hate; in stark contrast, Jesus holds men accountable for their sins against The 10 Commandments, and rebukes men who judge and condemn others.
Believe: Reflect upon Moral Conscience and the Examination of Conscience (CCC 1454, 1776-1789).
Pray: Almighty Father, help me build the Virtue of Vindication (a part of Justice) so I understand that I am accountable to You for my sins, I accept and use The 10 Commandments as my moral standard, I regularly conduct a thorough examination of conscience, and frequently seek Your forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance.