The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners:
On this Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus reminds us to live by the values we teach others. We can’t tell someone how to live if we don’t follow that advice ourselves. He compares this to a blind person leading another blind person—both will end up falling into a pit. This weekend’s Gospel from Luke continues Jesus’ message: don’t judge or condemn others, or we will be judged and condemned in the same way.
There’s a saying that when we point a finger at someone, three fingers point back at us. Jesus uses a similar example: why worry about a small splinter in someone else’s eye when we have a whole branch in our own? Before offering advice, we should first take a good look at our own lives. It’s often easier to notice other people’s flaws than to see our own, even when they’re the same.
We all make mistakes, and we are all sinners saved by God’s grace. He is loving and merciful and he forgives us over and over again. All we need to do is turn to him, seek reconciliation, and lay our burdens at his feet. In return, he asks us to show that same mercy to others—to love and forgive, just as he does for us.
May we continue to live our lives for Christ. Let’s follow his example showing love and mercy to all we meet.Your brother in Christ
Deacon Manny
