Posts Tagged ‘Luke 6:37-45’
Anchor yourself in God – Br. Jack Crowley
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In our Gospel this morning, Jesus tells us to take the log out of our own eye before looking at the speck in our neighbor’s eye. We have all sorts of expressions that get at a similar meaning. Focus on yourself. Stay in your own lane. Mind your own business. Keep your side of the street clean…my personal favorite is put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.
What’s amazing about these expressions is you could probably say them to anyone, at any age, anywhere on earth and people would understand what you mean. These are timeless truths and make common sense, yet personally I fail at following them all the time.
One of the great paradoxes of human nature is that we can think about ourselves all the time and still have the energy to obsess over other people. This is especially true when we obsess over the faults of other people – their mistakes, their shortcomings, their annoying habits, and so on. We can talk at length about how other people are driving us crazy, yet when it comes to opening up about our own soul, that takes work. Read More
Best Gifts – Br. Luke Ditewig
Br. Luke Ditewig
Clement of Rome
You’ll get what you give, Jesus says. Forgive and be forgiven. Judge and be judged. Compassion. Accusation. There’s reciprocity in relationship. Don’t give what you don’t want to get, especially with feedback, correction, or teaching, acknowledge your own needs. Keep at own work first. “Take the log out of your own eye so you can even rightly see the speck in your neighbor’s.” You might need help. Logs are heavy. Jesus gives a direct word because community is hard work. We need each other. It’s easy to find fault, to hold onto hurt, distance, and cut off.
Today we remember Clement of Rome, an early church leader. There was division at the church in Corinth when some younger leaders convinced the whole to remove the ruling elders. Clement wrote a pastoral letter calling the community to stick it out and abide together, to keep and listen to its elders. Clement called for maintaining hierarchy and for balance with mutuality. For a couple centuries, some included Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament. Clement wrote: “All work together and are mutually subject for the preservation of the whole body.” Read More