Today's Reading: Luke 6:39-42

You hypocrite! 

Jesus addressed his disciples with a parable.  He spoke of the tendency of people to notice the splinter on other people's eyes while not perceiving the wooden beam in their own eyes.  How sometimes we can appear concerned with other people's weaknesses and limitations that we want to help them improve themselves and change their ways; while we spend little time to look in ourselves and see that we also need help to change.  

"You hypocrite!" These words from Jesus came so strongly, enough to shake and agitate his hearers. It is very unusual of Jesus to speak in such tone.  In the Gospel, we can count few instances when Jesus seemed irate: during the cleansing of the temple; during a storm at sea when he criticized his disciples, especially Peter, for having "little faith"; and every time he encounters hypocrites (may it be a pharisee or one of his disciples,  he does not distinguish).

This may be because when we judge others based on our standard (or at least what we think is right), we may already, though unintentionally, making ourselves gods.  Jesus had to remind us time and time again that there is only one standard we should follow: God's (Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect). Perfection here points not to God's omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence; but to God's mercy and compassion.

The only person we can judge is ourselves. Because only us can see what's inside our heart. Similarly, we cannot judge others even if their actions may seem contrary to what is right because we do not really know what their motivations are.  

And yet, does this mean that we should just let them be and not mind them anymore? No. But what we should consider is the way we relate with those we want to "correct."  Why are we doing it? If the reason is that we love them, then it is crucial that we try to understand them first and put ourselves in their shoes.  Only when we see things as they see them, can we help them see things our way.  Who knows? It may be the wooden beam in our eyes which prevents us from seeing things correctly. 

Now, if the reason we do it is that we want to make ourselves feel better or superior by contrasting ourselves to them; then rightly, Jesus' words, "You hypocrite!" must be troubling for us.