Reflection for Friday September 13 Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Luke 6:39-42

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.”

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Reflection:

What is the sure-fire recipe for failure in a friendship? It’s the judgmental and self-righteous attitudes of those inside the friendship relationship. When a friend is quick to draw judgment and if he/she only listens to himself/herself. We can be assured that somewhere down the road the friendship vehicle will stop and will eventually permanently break apart. 

Many friendships fall apart because of our tunnel vision. We manage it with dominance, we never allow a two-way street or a give and take relationship thrive inside it. And so the friendship eventually falls apart. 

Friendship or any kind of relationship is always a democratic and participatory relationship. Never has it become an autocratic and one sided relationship between two or more different and unique individuals. Therefore the best recipe for success in friendship is not to allow a judgmental and dominating mindset inside the friendship. 

In the gospel for this Friday, Jesus warns about being judgmental. Wherein we only choose to see the fault of the other person yet we purposely don’t notice our own shortcomings. We are quick to point an accusing finger yet we don’t have the courage and humility to point the same accusing finger to ourselves. – Marino J. Dasmarinas