Fr Marco Lazzaron
his Sunday’s Gospel questions us about who we follow, how we judge, and what fruits we are bearing in life. Jesus begins by asking us a nice question: “Can a blind man lead another blind man?” Who are these words addressed to? To all of us, certainly. Probably, you may say: well, I am reading this sheet, so I can see. But, obviously, Jesus speaks of a spiritual blindness.
We are blind when we do not follow Jesus but we follow another pathway. We are blind when the compass that guides our path is not the Word of God, which is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 118:105), but we follow empty words, those human words that do not have the flavor of eternity. But, if then is true that we are blind, how can we expect or “be expected” to guide the people that God has entrusted to us? This applies to all of us: consecrated persons, educators, catechists, carers, parents!
The other aspect is our judgment on others, making us strong in our hypocrisy. “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye and do not notice the plank that is in your own eye?” Many times, as we know well, it is easier (or more convenient) to see and condemn the defects and sins of others, without being able to see one’s own with equal clarity. We often hide our flaws, even from ourselves; we are often those hypocrites who love to appear perfect, when inside we are worse than many public sinners.
Strengthened by this hypocrisy it is easy to see the defects of others. The temptation is to be self indulgent – easy on yourself – and harsh on others. It is always useful to help others with wise advice, but as we observe and correct the defects of our neighbours, we must be aware of our own defects too. We must be aware of this and, before condemning others, we must look within ourselves. (Pope Francis)
The third aspect that we want to grasp from this Gospel is on the fruits we bear in our lives, which make us more or less credible in the eyes of others. In fact “There is no good tree that produces bad fruit, nor is there a bad tree that produces good fruit. Every tree can be recognized by its fruit”.
The fruit is actions, but also words. Even from words someone can know the quality of the tree. In fact, whoever is good brings good out of his heart and whoever is bad brings out evil, practicing the most harmful exercise among us, which is murmuring, chatter, speaking badly of others. This destroys everything around us. (Pope Francis)
In the light of today’s Gospel, let us reflect on our actions: how do I speak of others? Is it easier for me to see other people’s flaws or recognise my own? What fruits are there in my life?
Who and what guides my steps so that I see the true light and can guide those whom God has entrusted to me towards true life?