Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27
Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the Gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.
Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race,
but only one wins the prize?
Run so as to win.
Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.
They do it to win a perishable crown,
but we an imperishable one.
Thus I do not run aimlessly;
I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing.
No, I drive my body and train it,
for fear that, after having preached to others,
I myself should be disqualified.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
For a sun and a shield is the LORD God;
grace and glory he bestows;
The LORD withholds no good thing
from those who walk in sincerity.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Alleluia
See John 17:17b, 17a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 6:39-42
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. »
Meditation
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Word of God invites us today to examine the way we live out our faith, serve others, and look at those around us. In the first reading, Saint Paul presents himself first and foremost as a man deeply committed to his mission: “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!”
For Paul, proclaiming the Gospel is not simply one activity among many. It is an inner necessity born from his encounter with Christ. He has received a grace, and that grace becomes a responsibility: to share it with others. He thus shows us that one who has truly encountered Christ cannot keep the Gospel to himself.
Paul could have sought his own interests, privileges, or recognition. Yet, he freely chooses to put himself at the service of everyone. He becomes weak with the weak in order to win some of them. He does not seek to dominate those to whom he preaches the Gospel, but to reach them with patience and love.
Indeed, becoming “all things to all people” does not mean giving up the truth in order to please others. It means learning to meet each person where they are, with their story, wounds, resistance, and pace of growth. Evangelisation begins when we stop judging people and learn to reach out to them with love.
But Paul also knows that proclaiming the Gospel requires discipline. He compares the Christian life to a race and a struggle. An athlete makes sacrifices and trains hard to obtain a crown that fades away; the Christian, on the other hand, runs towards an imperishable crown. Faith, therefore, cannot be lived carelessly or negligently. We must learn to pray, persevere, resist discouragement, give up certain habits, and remain faithful even when no one is watching. We do not become disciples of Christ through good intentions, but through daily faithfulness.
This requirement connects directly with the Gospel. Jesus asks: “Can a blind person guide another blind person?” The question is simple, but it speaks deeply to us. Sometimes we want to advise, correct, guide, and convert others while we ourselves still need to be enlightened by Christ. We want to lead others while we sometimes refuse to allow ourselves to be led.
A disciple is not above his master.
Before claiming to teach others, he must first accept being taught by Jesus himself. To lead others towards Christ, I must first accept that Christ leads me.
Jesus goes even further when He speaks about the speck and the log. We have an astonishing ability to notice the faults of our neighbor: their character, words, mistakes, weaknesses, and shortcomings. But are we equally attentive to our own faults? We easily see the speck in our brother’s eye while ignoring the log that distorts our own vision.
Jesus does not condemn every form of fraternal correction. Rather, He asks us to begin with ourselves. The person who accepts being corrected by God can then help their brother with gentleness. But the person who refuses to look at their own wounds risks turning correction into judgment, condemnation, or humiliation.
Before saying, “Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,” we must have the courage to allow the Lord to touch our own hearts.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you have called me to be your witness among my brothers and sisters. Give me a generous heart like that of Saint Paul, capable of serving without seeking my own interests. Teach me to proclaim your Gospel with truth, patience, and love.
Deliver me from the pride that makes me believe I am better than others. Purify my vision so that I may not be quick to condemn my brother or sister. Remove from my heart every “log” that distorts my judgment: pride, jealousy, resentment, harshness, impatience, or hypocrisy.
Teach me to allow myself to be guided by you before I claim to guide others. May my life, my words, and my actions lead those I meet closer to you.
Amen.
Intercession
Lord, we pray for all those who proclaim the Gospel: priests, religious men and women, catechists, parents, educators, young people, and committed lay people. Give them the faithfulness, humility, and courage they need to bear witness to your Word.
Spiritual Exercise
- Today, I will take a few minutes to identify a “log” present in my own life: a fault, attitude, or wound that I am quick to reproach in others.
- I will pray for someone whom I tend to judge, and I will seek to show them a concrete act of patience, listening, or kindness.
- Before correcting someone, I will ask myself: “Have I first allowed Christ to correct me?”
Rev. Fr. Martial SOH TAKAMTE
