A Lenten Gospel reading reminds us to pay attention to any wooden plank in our own eyes, before offering to remove a speck of sawdust from another’s eye (Matthew 7:3). This is good advice for anyone who is tempted to judge another. But this comparison is even more important when bringing others to Jesus and, into his Body, the Church. Here are some insights for applying this wisdom:
1. Am I in touch with my own struggles with faith? Do I have a wooden plank in my spiritual life; a lack of prayer, resentments, faulty relationships that I have not surrendered to God. We are inspired by C.S. Lewis, who when asked what religion he was, replied, “I am a lapsed atheist.”
2. Have I asked the Holy Spirit for the gift of repentance towards a person I would like to evangelize? Have I asked this person to forgive me for any wrongs they hold against me?
3. Do I have confidence in God’s love for the person I want to approach? Remember, I am simply entering into the tremendous compassion that Jesus, the Christ, already has for this person and his desire to meet spiritual needs. The speck you see is nothing in comparison.
4. Have I faced a similar experience, that compares to what another is facing? Knowing this can be the first step to confidence and to visualizing how the Holy Spirit would intervene in this person’s life. But keep in mind that God might surprise you both.
5. Am I willing to pray for this person, then encourage her or him through listening, statements of faith, a spontaneous prayer, or a brief sharing? Have I asked the Spirit for both zeal and discernment about which approach?
If you have done all this, then it is time to act in love and to become a part of God’s presence made flesh in the carpentry shop of life. It is time to be fashioned and shaped into a tool that Jesus can use.