Planks and specks in our spiritual vision

Good News ReflectionMonday of the 12th Week in Ordinary TimeJune 22, 2009
Today's Readings:Gen 12:1-9Ps 33:12-13, 18-20, 22Matt 7:1-5http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/062209.shtmlAudio: http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_06_22.mp3
Planks and specks in our spiritual vision
I used to look at today's Gospel reading and think, "Well, so much for helping others get the specks out of their spiritual vision, because as soon as I want to do that, I grow a huge plank in my own!"
However, that's not what Jesus meant. He never said we shouldn't help others clean up their lives. Take a closer look at the sentences that preface his eye-story. We are not to judge anyone. We can and should judge people's ACTIONS, and when we see sin happen, we should try to help them understand why it's wrong and what they can do about it. We care so much for the person that we don't want to watch them bump through life with blurred vision, hurting themselves and others.
Our vision gets planked when we judge their MOTIVES.
The plank that blinds us is the idea that we can actually see into their hearts. Sure we have clues, but it's only circumstantial evidence. We're the bigger sinner when we take the clues and run — actually jump — to conclusions that are incorrect. And since we're not God, we're always incorrect to some extent.
If we trust our judgments, we're trying to be God. Ahhh, now it's the sin idolatry, BUT we must not judge and condemn ourselves either. What were our motives? Did we intend to play God? Perhaps a dark, little part of us did, but our main motive was helpfulness. We need to repent of our blindness but appreciate and increase the goodness in our motives.
What are the specks that we'd like to take out of other people? It's like having an eyelash loose in your eye. You can't see it, but you know it's there. It's darn irritating. And if you fail at wash it out, you ask a friend to look and see if your eye's okay. People's specky sins are darn irritating to them, too, and they do appreciate our help — if it's compassionate, non-judgmental, and humble.
Take a slice of bread and slather it with peanut butter. Then drop it, peanut butter side down, into a pile of dead leaves. What gets stuck to it? That's what sin looks like. Now clean out the debris. That's what repentance feels like. It's messy. First we pull out the twigs (planks), because they're big enough to be easy. But there are a lot of little specks that also need to be removed. It takes a long time, a lot of effort, patience, and persistence to completely clean it all up. And it requires good vision!
One reason why God put us into community is so that we can help each other see and remove the specks. However, to be helpful instead of sinful, we must never assume that we understand another person's motives. The people we see sinning might very well be just as frustrated with their specks as we are! They will appreciate our assistance, but only when (1) they have gotten so frustrated that they WANT our help, and (2) we approach them without a plank in our eyes bonking them across their heads.
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