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GOSPEL | Luke 6:39-45
Jesus told his disciples a parable,
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
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.
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
EVERY WEEK QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Are you blind to your own faults while focusing on others’?
Jesus’ parable exposes one of the deepest flaws in human nature: our tendency to see the sins of others while ignoring our own. It is easier to notice a “splinter” in someone else’s character than to acknowledge the “wooden beam” in our own.
Psychological research confirms that we judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2018). This self-deception keeps us from repentance. Jesus’ warning isn’t just about hypocrisy—it’s about spiritual blindness.
His teaching also challenges modern culture’s obsession with criticism. Social media thrives on calling out faults, often with little self-examination. But Jesus teaches that if we want to help others, we must first let God correct us. The Catechism (CCC 2478) states: "To avoid rash judgment, everyone should interpret others' thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way." Do we extend this same mercy to others that we desire for ourselves?
The second part of the passage shifts to fruit-bearing. A person’s words, actions, and habits reveal their interior life. A healthy tree doesn’t produce rotten fruit. This means that true holiness is not about appearances—it is about transformation from within.
What does your life produce? Do your words and actions reflect a heart transformed by Christ? Or do they reveal areas where pride, anger, or bitterness still rule? Jesus calls us to an authentic faith—one that starts in the heart and produces fruit that lasts.
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Examining your own heart: Where do you see yourself judging others while ignoring areas of sin in your own life? How can you shift your focus to self-examination before correcting others?
Producing good fruit: If someone observed your life for a week, what kind of fruit would they see? What steps can you take to let Christ transform your heart more fully?
Speaking from the fullness of your heart: Jesus says our words reveal what’s inside us. Do your conversations reflect kindness, truth, and love, or do they expose negativity and gossip? How can you be more intentional about speaking with a pure heart?
LIVE IT
Going around, affirm one particular way that person has inspired you by his/her humility, self-examination, or the way his/her words and actions bear good fruit. Encourage him/her.
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