The Speck, the Log and the Heart

We’ve all heard it before: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own?” (Matthew 7:3). This verse is often used to point out hypocrisy, but it’s more than a warning against judgment, it’s an invitation to clarity.

You’re sitting in Mass or at a parish event, and someone makes a comment about another person’s behaviour, appearance, or choices. It’s easy to think, “Yeah, they really should change that.” But here’s the challenge: Jesus isn’t just warning us against being critical. He’s asking us to examine why we’re doing it in the first place.

The reading of the speck and the log is also about vision. When we see a speck in someone’s eye, we want to help. But Jesus says we should first remove the plank from our own eye, not just to avoid hypocrisy, but to clear our own sight before offering help.

When you’re struggling with your own imperfections, are you truly in the best position to help others? If you’re wrestling with doubt or carrying burdens, can you really guide someone else through their struggles?

Taking a speck out of someone’s eye requires precision and care. If we do it blindly, with a wooden beam in our own eye, we can cause more harm than good. We could end up wounding the person we are trying to heal.

It’s natural to want to step in, offer advice, or “fix” things. But when we do this without first addressing the plank in our own eye, our pride, insecurities, or judgments, we risk offering solutions rooted in frustration, impatience, rather than compassion.

What does Jesus ask of us? He calls us to pause and reflect, to clear our own hearts before we try to help others. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t offer support, but we should do so with humility, clarity, and love. We walk alongside others, not as “fixers,” but as those who have walked through our own struggles and found healing in Christ.

Just as God’s patience and gentleness guide us toward change (Romans 2:4), we, too, are called to show kindness to others. It’s not our harsh words or judgments that will bring them to repentance, but our compassion and understanding.

What’s the plank in your eye that needs attention? Where is God calling you to heal, grow and let Him purify you? And when you’re ready, let’s help one another gently, with love, knowing that we’re all growing together in Christ. (BV)