That triggers me is a reflection of myself. When I find myself irritated or offended by someone’s words or actions, I pause and ask: “What does this reveal about myself?” In today’s Gospel, Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of noticing the speck in someone else’s eye while ignoring the plank in our own. It’s a call to honest self-awareness.

I once coached a seasoned leader and general manager with decades of experience, who was shaken when people left her team. She began to doubt herself. Through coaching, she realized she had long craved for affirmation—because as a child, she felt like she never made her parents proud. That unhealed heartache shaped her leadership.

When she finally recognized the “plank” in her own eye—deep wounds tied to her sense of self-worth—her healing began. And as she healed, she led with greater compassion and clarity. Paul writes in Corinthians: “I have become all things to all people… I do all this for the sake of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). To lead others well, we must first be willing to grow within. 

Edwin S. Soriano (edwin@edwinsoriano.com)

reflect

What is God inviting you to notice about yourself? Your healing leads to others’ healing.

Jesus, help me to be self-aware, to see myself clearly. Amen.

St. Theodora of Alexandria, pray for us.

Paul understands his duty to proclaim the Gospel, now that it has transformed his life. The same is true for all of us. Baptism initiates us not only into the life of faith, but also into the ministry of evangelization. The first step is to live the Gospel so God’s grace can transform us and make us fit for the work of His Kingdom. 

¹⁶ Brothers and sisters: If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! ¹⁷ If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸ What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel. ¹⁹ Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. ²² I have become all things to all, to save at least some. 23 All this I do for the sake of the Gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. ²⁴ Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. ²⁵ Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we, an imperishable one. ²⁶ Thus, I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. ²⁷ No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12

R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

³ My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) ⁴ Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young—your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! (R) ⁵ Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. ⁶ Blessed the men whose strength you are! their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage. (R) ¹² For a sun and a shield is the Lord God; grace and glory he bestows; the Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk in sincerity. (R) 

Gospel | Luke 6:39-42

Hypocrisy is never a welcome sight, yet it often tarnishes the proclamation of the Gospel when ministers fail to live with integrity. Let us ensure that we live the Gospel as we proclaim it. Jesus’ Gospel proclamation is powerful because He is without sin and hypocrisy. So, the full grace and power of the Gospel is unleashed in His ministry. Let us emulate Jesus so our ministries may be more effective. Let us grow in holiness today and every day.

Gospel Acclamation

Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.

³⁹ Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

Reflect

“Hypocrisy is the attempt to remedy a mistake without admitting it. 

Saint Peter denied the Lord; but at least he never denied that he denied Him.” (G.K. Chesterton)

Read the Bible in one year! Read PSALMS 86 - 90 today.

We all want to live a blessed life, but what exactly do we mean by that? Are we talking about a good life as the world defines it? Or a good life in the eyes of God?

In the Gospel passage, Jesus continues to teach about what it truly means to live a blessed life—not by worldly standards of success or comfort, but by the values of the Kingdom of God. One clear obstacle to this kind of life is our tendency to be quick in judging others. That is why Jesus reminds His disciples: “Stop judging, and you will not be judged. Stop condemning, and you will not be condemned.”

If we are honest enough with ourselves, we will realize that we are indeed very quick in pointing out the failings of those around us. We seem to have a special set of eyes and ears for other people’s faults while we are quite blind to our own shortcomings. Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel truly hit home. “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s (sister’s) eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam on your own?” (Luke 6:41). He challenges us to stop looking for the faults of others; instead, He asks us to focus on our own distracted and sometimes judgmental, and pretty ungenerous hearts. 

Jesus wants us to concentrate on improving our own ways of behaving and treating others. Rather than telling people what they should do in their lives, Jesus wants us to be more understanding, to be more patient and compassionate toward other people’s shortcomings—for we, too, have our own limitations. None of us is perfect, and we never will be.

In the end, if we truly desire to live a blessed life—not by the world’s measure, but by God’s—we must begin with ourselves. Let us choose humility over judgment, compassion over criticism, and seek to grow daily in love, patience, and mercy. 

Fr. Ricky Montañez, AA

reflection question

Are you more focused on the faults of others than on your own need to grow in humility and love?

Lord, teach me to see with Your eyes—full of mercy, patience, and compassion. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _____________________________________