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.
Luke 6
There is a constant stream of condemnation these days coming from religious leaders because of society’s “opposition to our values.” More and more religious blogs, websites and pastoral letters decry “moral relativism” and “secularism.” While most of what they say is true, I believe simple condemnation of others is a cheap way for designated spiritual leaders to feel good about themselves. If what they say is true, then we need to look at how we have failed our culture and quit blaming those we are called to lead. Instead of asking, "what's wrong with you people?" I think we should be asking ourselves, "what's wrong with us?"
Personally, I like to
shift the focus from them to me. “How can I improve my ability to influence the
culture?” “How can I be more effective as a spiritual leader?” Why is what I am
doing, and the way I am doing it, not working? Why am I not able to "sell" our
values and convince people to "buy into" our message?
I have always been moved
by the words of St. Gregory the Great who wrote the classic On Pastoral
Care. “Although those who have no knowledge of the power of drugs shrink
from presenting themselves as physicians of the flesh, there are those who are
utterly ignorant of spiritual precepts but not afraid of professing themselves
to be physicians of the heart.” What he is saying is this: if we claim to be
serious spiritual leaders worth listening to, then we need to be able to
deliver on those claims - we need to be spiritual leaders in fact, not just in
name!
When I taught future
priests over at Saint Meinrad Seminary, the next generation of spiritual
leaders in the forefront of the Church, I told them, over and over again, that
it is not good enough for them to be personally pious, they must be able to be
effective as spiritual leaders if they are to influence today’s culture. In
other words, it is not enough for their parishioners to see golden light coming
out of their rectories, they must be able to drive through their parishes and
see golden light coming out of the homes of their parishioners.
Instead of tedious and
grating condemnations and criticisms of our culture, I think it would be more
helpful for those of us in church leadership to step back periodically and ask
ourselves where we have failed that has allowed things to have gotten this bad.
Why were we not able to influence the culture more effectively? If we
supposedly have “the Truth,” why do people not listen to us? The German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche may have some advice for us. “Let us stop
thinking so much about punishing, criticizing and improving others. Instead,
let us rather raise ourselves that much higher. Let us color our own example with
ever more vividness.”
Why
do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but
do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
In the last ten years, I
have lectured at priest retreats, convocations and study days, usually a week
at a time, in over one hundred dioceses in ten countries. My topic is usually
about the quality of our spiritual leadership and our need to get better at it.
This year I will be in Crookston (Minnesota), Bellville (Illinois), Saginaw
(Michigan), Grand Island (Nebraska) and Pembroke (Canada). Here is a list
of the eight conferences I am giving this year to the bishops, priests and
sometimes deacons around this country and in Canada. It is mostly about
challenging them to become more effective spiritual leaders.
“When
the Things You Gave Your Life to Falls Apart”
“Quit
Whining and Put on Your Big Boy Pants! It’s Time for Serious Priesting”
“Put
the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First Before Assisting Others”
“Give
Me a Break: Saying No to Gossip, Jealousy and Suspicion”
The
Jonah Complex: The Convenience and Selfishness of Playing Small”
“Throwing
Off the Crush of Garbage: The Power of Forgiveness”
“The
Show Must Go On: We Don’t Have the Luxury of Coming Unglued”
“Crossing
the Desert: An Exodus Spirituality for Our Times”
Maybe our biggest
problem in the church today is the failure of
religious leadership and the shortage of credible witnesses in
our culture among the laity in general. Maybe we need to remove the beams in
our own eyes, so that we can see better to remove the splinters in the eyes of
those around us.
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.
Luke
6
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