Mar 3rd
Post date: Mar 04, 2019 8:47:41 PM
March 3, 2019 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray
Last week Jesus told us to love our enemies.
Today we hear him say: ‘Don’t criticize your brothers and sisters.’
Rather remove the beam from our own eye.
Healthy self-criticism should be our #1 job. We must put our own house
in order before trying to put someone else’s house in order.
There are times when correction is called for.
Some people—parents, teachers, leaders—have that responsibility.
Correction can and should be an expression of love.
Admonishing the sinner is a Spiritual Work of Mercy.
But when does merciful admonishment slip into super-critical condemnation?
Today’s Gospel should give pause to all admonishers
who point out the splintery shortcomings of others
while ignoring the logjams of their own failings.
We must learn to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes.
Next Sunday, the, First Sunday of Lent our Catechumens and Candidates
will enter the Period of Purification and Enlightenment.
As we humbly admonish these Elect to confess themselves as sinners,
we must first confess that we are no less sinful than they are.
There was a king who called one of his servants.
This servant was known to be a cruel, mean man, who had no friends.
The king said to him, ‘I want you to travel the
length and breadth of my kingdom and find for me a truly good person.’
The man went off, met and spoke with many people.
When he returned, he declared, ‘Sir, I have searched the whole kingdom
as you asked me, but I couldn’t find even one truly good person.
All of them are mean, cruel, deceitful and evil.
A good person is nowhere to be found.
So, the king called another servant who was known for his kindness,
and was loved by everyone.
The king asked him to travel the kingdom and find a truly sinister person.
When this servant returned, he said to the king,
‘Sir, I found people who are misguided or misled, people who act
in blindness or passion, but nowhere could I find a truly evil person.
All of them are good at heart despite the bad things they have done.’
Those whose hearts are filled with goodness gaze upon the world and
behold what is good in humanity.
Those who look upon the world with the eyes of a cynic
find only the image of themselves.
The important lesson here is this—If we are always finding fault
with other people, we should look at ourselves.
We may be saying more about ourselves than about other people.
Once our hearts are open to others, we discover good in them,
even when it is hidden.
Our Lenten journey requires humility and prayer.
“Lord, may I never be a hypocrite, may I know how to say the truth and
if I cannot say it, to be quiet. But never, never a hypocrite.” (Pope Francis)