“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven,” we heard Jesus declare in last Sunday’s liturgy (Luke 6:37). This Sunday’s Gospel reading builds upon this challenging message and directs us to look inward at the one thing we can change – ourselves. Jesus speaks to His disciples:

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
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.

The concept of self-discovery provides the tools to avoid seeing the flaws in our brothers and sisters and, instead, consider our own growth and spiritual progress. Jesus calls out what those in recovery call “two-stepping” – jumping from Step One to Step Twelve without completing the interior work that is asked of us in between.

The inclination to help others may come from a place of good intention, but it can also be a defense mechanism that distracts us from the transformation we are to personally undergo. There will always be chances to help others, and our assistance is more effective when we are delivering experience, strength, and hope based on the interior change that Jesus has completed within us.

There is no formula to attract others to this process other than living joyfully and remaining honest, humble, and open-minded. It is likely that we’ve been drawn to the rooms of recovery because we knew we needed to make a change. We stay because we are inspired by the authenticity of those who are continually transformed by the will of God. Jesus shares about this process as His sermon continues:

A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.

What fruits are born from your recovery? Saint Paul suggests several that we can look to when we are living a life directed by the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (cf. Galatians 5:22). These come by way of asking God to help dislodge the beam in our own eye so that we can experience a spiritual awakening through the Twelve Steps and sacramental life of the Church.

Reflection Questions

• What fruits are blossoming because of your recovery?
• How do you stay focused on your own personal and spiritual growth rather than meddling uninvited in the concerns of another?
• What is going on in your life today that needs the attention of God and your fellows in recovery?

Sunday Mass Readings

First Reading: Sirach 27:4-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Gospel: Luke 6:39-45

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