8^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); March 2, 2025

Sir 27:4-7.  Ps 92.  1 Cor 15:54-58.  Lk 6:39-45

Deacon Jim McFadden

            The spiritual journey is just too hard to do by ourselves: as such, we need companions who can help us along the way.  It’s important to whom we spiritually “hang out with”, to whom we apprentice ourselves.  If our eyes aren’t opened, if we don’t see reality through the gaze of Christ, then we must find someone whose eyes are opened.  If we’re spiritually squinting, if we’re not allowing life to come to us in an unfettered way, then we must find someone who is striving to gaze upon the world just as the Beloved Disciple did as he lay his head on Jesus’ breast. But, as today’s Gospel admonishes, if we apprentice ourselves to someone who is blind or blurred as we are,  we may have a soul mate, but of a negative kind. We will have a companion who’s in the same darkness and together we will stumble  into the same rabbit hole.   It’s the veritable “blind leading the blind” scenario, which is why we need spiritual companions who have a high degree of humble self-awareness, who are grounded in their relationship with God, and who are striving for wisdom.  If our companion does not exhibit these qualities, we run the risk of stunting our spiritual growth. 

            The question arises: who is our teacher?  Who is our companion?  Do we get our guidance from cable news, shock radio, the internet with their penchant for conspiracy theories bereft of epistemic confirmation or are we  formed by a different source?  Jesus offers himself as an example of a spiritual companion and teacher to be followed: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone one when he is fully  taught will be like his teacher” (Lk 6:40).  It is a call to follow his example and his teaching, which is important to companion with those who are intentionally striving to follow the Way of Jesus. 

            We find another significant passage from today’s Gospel, which challenge us to be neither self-referential, presumptuous nor hypocritical.  Our Lord says, “Why is it you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (v. 41).  Why is it that we can see and expound on the slightest faults of others while being oblivious to our own staggering imperfections?  One partial explanation to this syndrome is that living an unreflective life, our attention is always focused  outwards on others.  Rather than going into the interior and dealing with our own darkness and Shadow,  we have fine-tuned our observation on others  so we don’t have to look at ourselves.  That’s why we don’t miss the tiniest of their moral flaws.  However, not being trained in self-observation, we do not see ourselves clearly. 

            This is a serious syndrome that blocks the flow of grace into our heart and soul.  We do not see clearly, we’re not “pure of heart” seeing reality objectively.  Rather, our minds have biases, tapes, and storylines that enter into everything  we say and do.  If we do not know what these “implied biases” are, then we are suffering from vincible ignorance.  Without this self-knowledge, we tend to paint perfect images of ourselves, or even more dangerous, innocent pictures of ourselves not in real need of genuine repentance.  Occupying this elevated perch, we look at others with disdain rather than compassion.  As members of the mystical Body of Christ, the only way  we can effectively evangelize the Good News, is to humbly tell our story of massive conversion. 

            There is a story told about Mahatma Gandhi that illustrates this point.  A woman brought her granddaughter to Gandhi and commanded, “My granddaughter eats too much sugar.  Tell her to stop.”

            Gandhi said, “Bring her back next week.” 

            The grandmother and granddaughter returned next week.  But Gandhi again put them off, saying the same thing, “Bring them back to me next week.”  This happened three times.

            Finally, Gandhi said to the granddaughter, “You should not eat sugar.  It is not good for you.” 

            The grandmother was nonplussed.  “We waited four weeks for this simple remark.”

            “Ah,” Gandhi sighed. “It took me that long to stop eating too much sugar myself.”

            The only way to help our neighbor is to tell the story of our own struggle.

            May our Blessed Lady, Mary, whose humility was seen by God, help us to purify our gaze. Amen.

            Reflection Questions:

1. Who is your teacher? Who is your companion? Where do you get your guidance?
2. What biases, tapes, and story lines have found a home in your consciousness?
3. Are you embracing ongoing conversion, metanoia? How so?