THAT SPLINTER OF MINE

HOMILY FOR THE 8^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

In the time when monks lived in the Egyptian deserts, a certain monk committed what was considered to be a grievous fault. And the elders in the community assembled to pass judgement on him. They sent for their abbot to join them. And so, the abbot arose and started off. He took with him an old basket which was full of holes, and filling it with sand he carried it behind him. Thus, as he went along, he left a trail of sand in his wake. On reaching the place of judgement, the elders came out to meet him and asked him what he meant by this. He then replied: my sins are running out behind me. Everywhere I go, I leave a trail of faults behind me. Only most of the time, I don’t see them myself. And today, you want me to sit in judgement on my brother. On hearing this, the elders in the community were ashamed. They abandoned the trail and pardoned their brother.

1. In the Gospel (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus in his parable to his disciples asked the very striking question: why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? What a beautiful question that prepares our inner spirit for the season of Lent that is at our door step already!!! Should the readings of this Sunday not be seen as a way of alerting us of the very important lessons of Lent: self-condemnation and self-examination? We are left to imagine this picture of a man with a plank in his own eye who tries to extract a speck of dust from someone else’s eye. Is it not true that there is some bad in the best of us and also some good in the worst of us? The primary emphasis becomes to focus more on our individual faults so as to come out better; becoming the better version of ourselves as the days roll by. This was the advice of Jesus to his disciples, and so to us today: take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter in the other person’s eye. But the question that can follow from this is: can our eyes ever be free from any plank, splinter or speck?

2. This passage does not in any way condemn fraternal correction. What it condemns is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy blinds the mind not to see its own fault, but to be very alert and vigilant at the fault of others. This hypocrisy is heightened when the focus on other people’s life becomes excessive to such an extent that the inclination to easily judge and condemn them prevails. To act as a healer of other people’s fault while being blinded to ours is hypocrisy. The knowledge of the other’s faults may not be in itself wrong. The correction of the other’s fault cannot be in itself unchristian. The notice of the waywardness of our brethren can never be in itself evil. What is evil is the intention that comes before the knowledge of the other’s fault. What is evil are the words and the actions that follow after we have known the other’s fault. What is wrong is the spirit with which we correct them. Such a spirit is inclined to condemn both the wrong action and the person who performed it, as against the good spirit that condemns only the action and not the person. The good spirit does not allow us to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’. It does not show itself self-righteous, and does not see the offender as less in dignity.

3. The hypocrite puts up a false appearance of goodness, while the real character is concealed. Hypocrisy is wrong in itself because it is primarily deceptive; and anything that gears towards deception leads people astray. This is why the man of wisdom of the First Reading (Eccl. 27:4-7) warns his readers to apply caution in praising every person. According to the author of that book, we do not need to rush to praise any person until we have tested him/her by his words (and deeds). This is an advice that alerts us against deception. Beware (that means, do not be deceived by) of the yeast of the Pharisees, Jesus always warned his disciples (cf. Mat. 16:16). Now, think about how the deception exhibited by one person can affect a community of faith. And then, think too about the danger we bring to our souls when we are blinded to our faults. Is this not self destructive? Yes, and it causes great harm to the soul. We need to conquer ourselves first so as to help others conquer themselves. Thus, the conquest of the awareness of our own mistakes must then precede efficient attempts to cure others.

4. It is indeed very much easy to be blind to our own faults. And this is why self-examination is very necessary in our Christian life. Recollections and retreats help to make us conscious of our splinter, and never to give up in striving to remove them. We are about to step into a 40-day journey of prayer, fasting and alms-giving. It is now time to grow more conscious of our blind spots. It is now time to shun hypocrisy and face our real selves, working to heal those parts that give us some sense of shame, and working to improve those that give us some sense of worth. It is yet another opportunity the Church offers us to make a redress, healing ourselves and helping to heal others in a sincere and fraternal spirit. We are called upon to be ever ready to go before the mirror that God offers us in his word to help ourselves remove those splinters that block our visions for a clearer vision. We need to see. We need to be a Church that looks inward so as to enjoy a broader vision outwardly. But remember, each of us has got some specks to remove. Do not give up, because God has never given up on us. God bless you. Happy new week.