Meet others with mercy

I

n today's Gospel, Jesus asks:

"Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?"

The temptation to judge others is very human. We quickly notice another person's faults, mistakes, and weaknesses. Yet Jesus tells us to begin somewhere else. Before looking at the splinter in another person's eye, we must first examine the beam in our own.

What is this beam?

Often it is not a particular sin but a way of seeing. We view reality through our fears, prejudices, resentments, attachments, and self-interest. These shape how we interpret other people. As a result, we may think we are seeing clearly when in fact we are not.

This is where Christian Vipassana Meditation can help us understand the Gospel. I learned this practice from Fr Toshihiro Yanagida SJ. It is a simple way of becoming aware of the present moment with a heart of agape. A basic exercise is to sit quietly and pay attention to your breathing. As you breathe in, feel that you are breathing in. As you breathe out, feel that you are breathing out. When thoughts, emotions, or judgments arise, simply notice them and gently return to the breath. The goal is to minimize thinking and maximize sensing.

This sounds easy, but it is not. Our minds are often restless. We are distracted by memories, worries, plans, and judgments. But do not be discouraged. This awareness is cultivated slowly through faithful daily practice. Little by little, we learn not to be controlled by every thought or emotion that passes through our minds.

Perhaps this is part of what Jesus is teaching us today. Before reacting, pause. Before judging, look within. Notice what is happening in your own heart. Are you angry? Afraid? Hurt? Driven by a need to control? Quick to judge?

Many of us live on automatic pilot. We become angry and immediately justify our anger. We become anxious and are carried away by our anxiety. We form judgments without first examining what is happening within us. Jesus' advice is simple: remove the beam first.

Meditation helps us do this. By quietly paying attention to what is happening within us, we begin to notice our fears, attachments, impatience, and tendency to judge. In other words, we begin to see the beam.

Notice that Jesus does not say, "Ignore the splinter." He does not tell us to become indifferent to the faults or struggles of others. Rather, he says, "Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly."

That is the goal: to see clearly.

When we become aware of our own weaknesses, we are often less harsh toward others. We realize that we, too, struggle. We, too, need patience. We, too, need mercy.

This is where agape enters the picture. Agape is not simply a feeling. It is the decision to relate to others with the same generosity and patience that God shows us. The more honest we become about our own limitations, the easier it becomes to approach others with understanding rather than condemnation.

Christian Vipassana is therefore not an exercise in self-absorption. It is a way of becoming more honest before God and more compassionate toward others. It helps us see ourselves more truthfully so that we can love others more freely.

Perhaps that is the question Jesus leaves us today: What beam am I failing to see? What habit, attachment, resentment, or prejudice is affecting the way I look at others?

The first task of the disciple is not to fix everyone else. The first task is to see clearly. Only then can we truly help our brother or sister. Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ