23RD FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 6:39-42) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eyes first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.” (Lk 6:42))

FIRST READING -  1 Tim 1:1-2, 12-14

 ^"I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated."

A reading from the First Letter to Timothy

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, ² to Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

² I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry. ¹³ I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. ¹⁴ Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 6:39-42

"Can a blind person guide a blind person?"

✠From the Gospel according to Luke

³⁹ And he told them a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? ⁴² 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.

23RD FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 6:39-42)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God today wants to tell everyone this: God is the One who knows all things. Only He is the One who gives the law and judges humanity.

Among human beings, no one has the right to judge others, because everyone is a sinner before God; no one is holy and pure before Him. God always desires that people live in purity, chastity, and holiness; but human beings cannot achieve this on our own. He gives people the power to support and help one another; yet today, people seek after honor and power, wanting to use power to dominate others. From this desire to dominate comes arrogance and pride; and from pride comes contempt and judgment of our brothers and sisters while one’s own life is still full of sin before God.

God remains patient and merciful toward humanity. He desires and waits for us to repent, to recognize our sins, and to return to Him.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns everyone that whoever wants to take the splinter from another’s eye must first remove the wooden beam from our own. That means we must first change and convert our own hearts, so that our eyes may be clear to see and help remove the splinter from our neighbor’s eye, and so help our brothers and sisters repent, turn away from sin, and live a new life of purity before God.

But people today often fail to see our own sins in order to correct them; instead, we condemn and judge our brothers and sisters. This is a grave sin before God, and He is not pleased with those who constantly judge and criticize others.

The Word of God today tells everyone to live humbly and lowly before God. Do not judge, do not condemn our brothers and sisters. Do not forbid them from living according to the way of God’s love; for such things do not come from God, but from Satan.

God sees clearly those who are facing difficulties, sufferings, and trials. He loves them and never abandons anyone. Therefore, He calls each of us to strive to live well, to live in purity and chasity before Him; to strive to remove every evil thought, word, and action; to cast sin out of our hearts.

Let us turn to God and be reconciled with Him, so that He may remove the “splinter” and the “wooden beam”, which are the darkness of sins from within us.

Living in this way, we will live together in harmony, unity, and love; and more than that, we will be reconciled and to be closely united with God, who will dwell in our hearts and clothe us with the new self, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 September 12, 2025 - Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven