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Gospel: Matthew 7: 1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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(We continue with our week-long faith formation summer program).
Do you like the taste of watermelon?
To me, it tastes like juicy, sweet Styrofoam that magically melts in your mouth.
There’s only one thing you must remember: when biting into a slice of watermelon, always spit out the seeds. I remember thinking as a kid that, if I ate one of the seeds, then a watermelon would start growing in my stomach!
Of course, that isn’t true. But the advice is still helpful: when eating watermelon, spit out the seeds.
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We all have “seeds” inside of us. Not in the literal sense of those dark grainy kernels, but things we want to get rid of.
Perhaps I have a temper. Maybe I think or say things on occasion that aren’t nice. Maybe I can be selfish; I struggle with sharing my time, talent, and favorite things with my brothers and sisters.
We can also spot these “seeds” in other people. We notice things about them that we don’t like.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to stop judging – stop looking at the “seeds” inside ourselves and inside of other people. Focus on what is good, instead.
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Can you think of something you like about yourself? And something you like about your neighbor or friend?
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May we treat ourselves and those around us like a slice of watermelon – focusing not on the “seeds,” but on what is good. “Stop judging,” the Lord says, “then you will see clearly.”
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Image credits: (1) Medium (2) Good Housekeeping (3) Forum Novelties Watermelon Costume, Amazon.com