Thursday, September 12, 2019

Blind Guides

In our very flawed, very human way, we are all too ready to look upon the failings of others than we are to look in the mirror and see our own. And we’re quicker still to let them know it and guide them to the path of righteousness. Talk about the blind leading the blind!

One of the things Jesus tells us in Luke (6:39-42) is to purify ourselves, to see ourselves for what we really are. It is only by knowing ourselves thoroughly that we can begin to know and understand others. We have so much bombarding our senses in our culture today. Our thoughts go outward in response to these auditory and visual stimuli. We ponder the news, listen to music, read and watch too much television; don’t even get me started talking about social media! While these activities are worthwhile to a limited degree, they can cut into our time for quiet self-reflection. We might not be in touch with our innermost thoughts. We might not realize our tendencies to react inappropriately, such as by judging others.

We should evaluate how much time we are setting aside from the noises and harmonies of life to set our own house in order. For example, I have tried, over the last year or so, to curtail most of my television watching. I have replaced it with reading the Scriptures, writing my reflections in my blog, and trying to attend daily Mass. And I’m still a long way off from where I should be in my spiritual life!

One of the reasons we are so willing to accuse others is that we know so little about ourselves. More often than not what enrages or irritates us about another is our own flaws that we know about and do nothing to correct; we’d rather deflect attention away from ourselves. Jesus offers the remedy for this—self-awareness. And it is in this self-awareness that empathy and sympathy for the sinner grows. It is in understanding our own sinfulness that we become aware of the splendor of the love and mercy of God. By looking in the mirror and seeing our sins, we learn the compassion of Jesus. Frequent examination of my conscience and the great Sacrament of Confession has been a great source of comfort to me in these trying times.

We open the hardened heart of a sinner by sitting and listening without judging, without trying to fix all the problems we are hearing.

In short, the solution begins with unconditional love, prayer and compassion. And this awareness of our own sinfulness teaches us compassion and unconditional love.

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".