Reading 1
2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.
This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the Lord had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.
And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
“Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,”
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
Gospel
Mt 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Meditation: Matthew 7:1-5
Stop judging, that you may not be judged. (Matthew 7:1)
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to pinpoint in someone else the same sins that you are prone to? If we tend to talk too much, we get impatient when someone won’t let us get a word in edgewise. If overeating is a temptation, we notice when a friend puts on extra pounds or accepts a second helping. If we tend toward laziness, we quickly fault a family member who doesn’t seem to be doing his share of the work.
That’s why today’s Gospel reading is so important. When we are tempted to criticize or judge someone else, Jesus invites us to shine the same light on ourselves. This is not so that we will condemn ourselves but so that we will grow in charity. After all, we should have compassion on people who experience the same weaknesses that we do. Focusing on our own failings can also show us where we need to repent. We all need to call on God’s power to help us change.
It’s important to learn how to see ourselves and each other in the light of God’s deep love. This person isn’t—and you are not—a gossip, a glutton, or a slacker. This person is—and you are—a beloved child of God, called into his family, graced and greatly gifted.
Often, the same traits that lead us to sin can be transformed into tools to build God’s kingdom. You may be stubborn in holding onto your own will—or you can be determined to stick to what God has called you to do. You can be passive when action is called for—or you can be trusting in God’s power, waiting to see how he will work out things that look unredeemable to you.
The key is to let God’s love penetrate your mind each day so that his thoughts flow into your mind and his love flows into your heart. If you hold onto him, he can purify you and prepare you for his service. If you focus on him instead of other people’s shortcomings, you can become a powerful instrument in his hands.
“Lord, you created me to love you as no one else can. You know me inside and out. Thank you for loving me and calling me to follow you.”
No comments:
Post a Comment