Daily Catholic Lectio. Mon, 22 June 2026. You Will See Better

Daily Catholic Lectio
Mon, 22 June 2026
XII Week in Ordinary Time
2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15, 18. Mt 7:1-5

You Will See Better

The Sermon on the Mount is not only about personal holiness. It is also about improving our relationships with others. Today’s Gospel speaks about two important matters in community life: judging others and correcting their faults.

Whenever we live and work with others, we naturally observe their words, behaviour, strengths, and weaknesses. Without even realising it, we begin to evaluate them. From evaluation, we quickly move to judgement. We decide who is right, who is wrong, who is sincere, and who is not.

At the same time, we may carry many faults within ourselves while trying to correct the faults of others. We notice the splinter in another person’s eye but fail to see the wooden beam in our own.

Jesus therefore says: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.” He is not asking us to lose the ability to distinguish between good and evil. He is warning us against condemning people, assigning motives to them, and placing ourselves above them.

Judgement often arises from incomplete vision. We see another person’s action, but we do not know the whole story. We hear a word, but we do not know the pain behind it. We notice a weakness, but we do not see the struggle that person may be making.

When we look at others only to find faults or to justify ourselves, our vision becomes narrow. We may see something true, but we do not see the whole truth.

This is why Jesus tells us to turn our eyes towards ourselves before turning them towards others. “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

Self-examination gives clarity to our vision. When we recognise our own weakness, we become more patient with the weakness of others. When we remember how much we need mercy, we become less eager to condemn. When we face our own failures honestly, correction becomes an act of love rather than an expression of superiority.

Jesus does not say that we must ignore the splinter in another person’s eye. He says that we must first remove the beam from our own. Only then will we see better. Only then can we help another person gently, wisely, and responsibly.

The first reading presents another form of unclear vision. After the death of Solomon, the united kingdom was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian army invaded the northern kingdom, captured Samaria, and carried the people into exile.

The land that God had promised and given to the people passed into the hands of foreigners. The biblical author explains why this happened. The people had turned away from the Lord, rejected His covenant, and followed false gods.

Scripture describes their condition with a striking expression: “They followed vanity and became vain.” They pursued what was empty and gradually became empty themselves.

Instead of choosing the invisible God, they chose visible idols. Instead of trusting the Lord who had liberated them, they were attracted by the images, customs, and promises of the surrounding nations. Their vision was directed towards what appeared attractive, but they failed to see what was true.

What we look at repeatedly shapes what we become. When we look constantly at the faults of others, we may become critical and bitter. When we look only at appearances, we may lose the ability to recognise truth. When we focus on empty things, emptiness slowly enters our lives.

Today’s readings therefore invite us to examine our vision. How do I look at others? Do I look at them with suspicion or compassion? Do I look for their faults in order to condemn them, or do I recognise their dignity and struggles?

They also invite us to examine how we look at God. Do we trust the living God, even when He remains unseen? Or do we choose visible things that promise quick security, comfort, and satisfaction?

Clear vision begins with self-examination. It grows through humility and is completed in faith.

When we turn our eyes towards ourselves honestly, we will see others more mercifully. When we turn our eyes towards God faithfully, we will see life more truthfully.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai

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