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Jesus told his disciples: “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 wooded beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.’”
Luke 6:42
O God our loving Father: So many times we act so silly as if we have never learned from your prophets and then your Son Jesus Christ and down to his Apostles and saints, notably Paul.
So true are the words of Jesus your Son when he told us how we would always see the splinter in our neighbor's eyes without ever seeing the wooden beam in our own eyes!
But you know, dear Father, what makes me rejoice this Friday? Indeed, splinter and wooden beam we all have right in our eyes that we cannot see or even refuse to see and remove; yet, there you are in your infinite mercy you sent us Jesus Christ to remove these splinter and wooden beam in our eyes through his wooden Cross!
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. Indeed, the grace of our Lard has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:13-14
Larger and heavier was the wooden Cross willingly carried by Jesus Christ for our own sake so we may be cleansed of our sins and cleared of our blindness to walk your path of holiness; loving Father, teach us to be like St. Paul to admit our sinfulness, to voluntarily remove both the splinter and wooden beam in our eyes so we may see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more closely in Christ Jesus. Amen.
