In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches many lessons about the attitudes and actions that Christians need to practice: we need to pray, fast, give alms, we need to forgive if we wish to be forgiven, we need to be willing to make peace with our brother, and be willing to suffer for the Gospel.
We heard from the part of his sermon today where Jesus teaches his followers about judging others. He tells us to stop condemning what needs to change in others without changing what needs to change in ourselves.
This is one of the most challenging teachings of Christ, because it calls us to a deep honesty—complete honesty—about our own hearts, attitudes, and motives. It is easy to notice the faults of others—their selfishness, their bad temper, their hypocrisy. But it is much harder to notice, let alone admit, the ways that we ourselves are failing to love as we should. We look at ourselves with rose colored glasses, while looking at others with laser focus.
The Lord’s teaching to remove the speck from our own eye is a call to humility and conversion. It challenges us to look inward, to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs healing and repentance in our lives.
The humility of self-examination is one of the most vital, yet most difficult, virtues in the spiritual life. It is the quiet, honest posture of the soul that says: “Lord, I know I am not yet who you call me to be. Show me the truth about myself—not to discourage me, but to heal me.”
At its core, humble self-examination is the refusal to live on the surface of life. It is a deliberate turning inward, not in self-absorption, but in the hope that God will reveal what lies beneath: our mixed motives, our hidden resentments, our pride, our attachments, our wounds.
This kind of humility recognizes that we are complex creatures—capable of great love, but also of deep selfishness. We don’t always understand why we act the way we do, or why certain patterns repeat themselves. And so we ask the Holy Spirit to shine light into our inner life.
To follow Christ means being willing to do the hard work of interior transformation. And when we do that work, we begin to see others differently—not as people to condemn, but as fellow sinners in need of mercy because we’ve seen how deeply we need mercy ourselves, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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Mindful of the Lord’s call to examine our hearts and to grow in compassion and humility, let us bring our needs before the God of mercy and truth.
For the Church: That all Christians may respond to Christ’s call to interior conversion, growing in humility, self-awareness, and love of neighbor.
For leaders of nations and all who hold authority: That they may govern with wisdom and justice, and seek peace rooted in mutual respect and the dignity of all people.
For an increase in compassion, an end to war and terrorism, and for the protection of the most vulnerable.
For those who are sick, poor, or burdened by suffering: That they may experience the comfort of God’s mercy and the support of a compassionate community.
For the faithful departed: That, purified by God’s mercy, they may see Him face to face and rejoice in His presence for eternity.
Loving Father, You see into the depths of our hearts and call us gently to repentance and healing. Hear these prayers we offer and grant us the grace to grow in humility and love, through Christ our Lord.
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