Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 6:39-42

Jesus told his disciples a parable:
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
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 Gospel of the Lord.

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Four monks took a vow of silence.

One day, while they were walking together down a dusty road, one of them stubbed his toe against a rock and cried out, “OUCH!”

A second monk turned to him and said, “You fool! You just broke your vow of silence!”

Another turned to him and said, “Now you’re the fool! You just broke your vow of silence by telling him that he broke his!”

The fourth monk stopped, smiled, and said aloud, “I’m the only one who didn’t.”

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Jesus uses the same type of humor in today’s Gospel by poking fun at our pride. “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” he says.

Sight is a curious thing. 

Eyes allow us to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation – the glow of sunrise, the twinkle of the stars at night, the blue of water, the face of our beloved. But it can also be misused to judge and criticize the imperfections of other people without noticing our own.

This is the irony of the eye. 

It cannot see itself. Nor can it look inward. Eyes can only look outward, allowing us to see one of two possibilities: beauty or imperfection. 

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No one is perfect.

“All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God,” Saint Paul says. Meaning, sometimes it is right and necessary to correct a friend, a neighbor, or a colleague who has done wrong.

But before criticizing someone else, the Lord commands us to take a hard look within, making sure that we are not guilty of the same offense – or a greater one – lest we be hypocrites.

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Think of the four monks. 

They all broke their vow, while judging others for doing the same. Jesus might ask them the what he asks us today, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?”

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Image credit: (1) Crosswalk.com (2) The Parable of the Mote and Beam, Domenico Fetti (3) Cerebral Faith

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Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount. 
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Tomorrow is the 25^th anniversary of 9/11. I’ll be traveling into New York City with some friends who lost a family member that day.

When tragedies like 9/11 happen, or other senseless acts of violence like a random stabbing in Times Square, we often turn to God. 

Some blame him for allowing these things to happen. Others begin to long more ardently for heaven, a place of permanent peace without guns, knives, or planes used as missiles.

But we should also turn to God, recognizing just how difficult – yet important – it is to forgive. 

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As the Lord says in today’s Gospel, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who persecute you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Jesus had to know such ideas are impossible for the natural human heart. Some might even call them ridiculous. 

Yet we also know what it feels like to have a heart seething with anger, or worse, hatred fueled by an ardent desire for revenge.

Feeling this way does nothing to improve our health, our outlook on life, or our overall sense of peace; rather, such negativity only makes it worse, like pouring salt into an open wound.

In the least, we can deduce that doing the opposite of what Christ teaches us – hating our enemies instead of loving them – will not fulfill us in the end. Just ask anyone who bears hatred in their heart how happy they really are.

It’s a humbling truth to accept, but loving our enemies may be the only way to find lasting peace. Yet we also know it’s something God alone can do, because he is the Father of us all.

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Yes, this is a difficult message to preach – and much harder to live.

But 25 years later, aren’t we being called to recognize our need to become ever more like Christ?

Which means replacing – in the words of the prophet Ezekiel – our “stony hearts” with his merciful, compassionate, loving heart.

Humble us, O LORD. 

Make us more and more like you so that peace may come – not only to foreign lands or even to our own nation, but also to the soil of our very own hearts, too often broken by tragedy.

Give us the grace to cling – not only to the desire for heaven where permanent peace reigns – but also to take responsibility for working for it while we are still here on earth.

Most Sacred Heart of Christ, have mercy on us.

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Image credits: (1) Freedomandglory.com (2) 9/11 Memorial (3) Chaldean Diocese of Saint Thomas

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Gospel: Luke 6:20-26

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. 
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false 
prophets in this way.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s an African proverb, “When you pray, move your feet.” 

While God plays a role in this world, so do we. 

We are all responsible for making it a better place to live.

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Today we celebrate the life of Father Peter Claver, a priest from the 17^th century, who not only prayed for the world to change; he also moved his feet.

Distraught over the injustice of the slave trade, he moved from Spain to Cartagena, Colombia, vowing to become, “a slave to slaves forever.”

Every morning for 33 years, Father Peter went down to the shipping docks, where men, women, and children were unloaded after harrowing journeys across the Atlantic and sold into slavery.

While he couldn’t end that horrific practice, he courageously welcomed our brothers and sisters with food and water while preaching on themes from the Gospel – love, forgiveness, and eternal life.

By his death, he baptized over 300,000 people – and was the face of Christ for even more.

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Father Peter reminds us not to wait for someone else.

“When you pray, move your feet.”

Be the change you want to see today.

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Image credits: (1) br.pinterest.com (2) holymanna.blog (3) freepik.com