Today, we continue reading from St. Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus teaches His followers. This part of the Bible is called the “Sermon on the Plain.” It has many of the same lessons as the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew’s Gospel.
Jesus first warns His disciples not to judge others (Luke 6:37-38). Then He asks, “Can a blind person guide another blind person?” The answer is obvious—they would both fall! Then He asks another important question: “Why do you notice a small splinter in your brother’s eye but ignore the large wooden beam in your own?” This is a strong image. A splinter is tiny, while a wooden beam is huge. Jesus wants us to see how we often find small faults in others while ignoring our own big mistakes.
We are quick to point out other people’s faults. We notice their mistakes, their weaknesses, and even their sins. But why don’t we see our own? Maybe we aren’t looking closely at ourselves. It’s easier to judge others because it doesn’t require any effort or change on our part. We can gossip, criticize, and post opinions online without feeling uncomfortable. But Jesus is clear: “You hypocrite!”
So what should we do? Jesus tells us, “Remove the wooden beam from your own eye first. Then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” This means we must focus on our own faults before trying to correct others. We need to look at our hearts honestly and make changes in our own lives. It’s not our job to list the mistakes of others. Who made us judges over them? And how do we feel when others judge us?
Jesus assumes we all have wooden beams in our eyes—big flaws that we must fix. The problem is not having faults; the problem is ignoring them. Jesus doesn’t say we have small splinters; He says we have large beams. This reminds us that we are not as perfect as we might think.
The first step to improving ourselves is self-examination. That is why the Church gives us this Gospel reading right before Lent, a time for reflection and change. Jesus says, “A good person produces good from a good heart.” Our task is to learn from Him and let God transform our hearts. Scripture and Church teachings help us with this.
If we truly work on ourselves, we won’t have time to focus on others’ mistakes. When we see how much we need to grow, other people’s faults will seem much smaller. Jesus teaches that we should always start with our own hearts.
Adapted from the reflection of Gayle Somers, published in Catholic Exchange.
