The first reading and the gospel are wisdom sayings in parables; we are called to bear fruits of love. The fruits of a tree show the kind of care it received, good care, good fruits; you neglect the tree, you get rotten fruit. Our speech reveals whether our mind is shaped by the good news of Christ or not. As Christians, our thinking and actions are to be directed to the wellbeing of oneself and others. We are called to test or discern our actions to see if they conform to the truth Jesus taught us; the truth of our life is linked to Jesus and that enables us to love beyond all boundaries.
Unfortunately, as Jesus says, often our attitudes are like: brother, let me remove the speck in your eye while there is a plank in our own eyes. Our politics, social systems and the church are all mired in such anti-gospel propaganda, making grievances the major talking points or I am ok, you are not ok attitudes. Healing of one’s own vision changes everything into Christ like seeing or as Paul says, we move from what is corruptible to incorruptible; we celebrate in Christ our victory over sin and death. A potter takes his pot out of the furnace to cool; the furnace is life’s challenges, trials, fear, pain and cooling is mercy toward oneself and others, softening of the heart to love tenderly. We become vessels beautiful and useful, serving Christ and his kingdom.
Our speech and actions are in relation to others and they are meant to help, heal, encourage and transform; if they denigrate or diminish others, Jesus calls us hypocrites. Hypocrite is a stage actor in ancient Greece, who wears a mask to represent the character he plays; it is now used for one who hides what one truly is, a deceiver, a masked mind, who engages in preemptive attacks on others. Personal change, change in others requires positive, loving engagement and not attacks. Christ set us free, let what is enlightened by Christ flow from our inner self. Once, a man was refining gold in a fire-heated pot on a street corner. A little child asked him what he was doing. he said he was removing the impurities that rose to the top as the metal melted. How will you know when you are done? the child asked. When I can see my face perfectly reflected in the gold, the man said. We are christians when image of Christ is reflected in us.
One’s destructive character can be detected from the fruits of his/her actions. What we know about others can be evaluated for good. Jesus says, not be judging but give good counsel; judging is closing the door of your heart, giving good counsel is opening a door to change, reconciliation. It is like parents giving, positive, constructive and challenging instructions to children, no condemning but wellbeing of the children in their mind. In the gospel Jesus awakens us to his love that we may see the plank in our eyes, acknowledge our flaws or shake off the husk to discover the pure grain that becomes a delight to all. Sacrament of reconciliation is given to us to shake off the husk. Pray as in psalm 51: ‘create in me a clean heart, O God’!