A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to 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.
From the Gospel according to 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."
The Gospel of Luke has once again put before us Jesus’ question: “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” (Lk 6:39). The Lord means to say that a guide cannot be blind; he must see clearly, if he is not to risk causing harm to those entrusted to his care. Jesus thus calls the attention of all those who have educational or leadership responsibilities (…) to feel a sense of responsibility, to ask themselves what the right path is, and to walk it themselves first. (…) In today’s passage, we find another very significant phrase, which exhorts us not to be presumptuous and hypocritical. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Lk 6:41). How easy it is to notice the faults and sins of others whilst failing to see our own! And how can we tell whether our eye is clear or obstructed by a log? The answer lies in our actions. It is Jesus who tells us this once more: “Each tree is known by its own fruit” (Lk 6:44). The fruit consists of our actions, but also our words. (…) Indeed, a good person brings forth good things from the heart and the mouth, whilst an evil person brings forth evil things. (…) Feel a sense of responsibility and take pride in offering a Christian witness capable of renewing society both inwardly and outwardly. (John Paul II, homily of 1 March 1992)
Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 September 2026 –
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to 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.
From the Gospel according to 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."
The Gospel of Luke has once again put before us Jesus’ question: “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” (Lk 6:39). The Lord means to say that a guide cannot be blind; he must see clearly, if he is not to risk causing harm to those entrusted to his care. Jesus thus calls the attention of all those who have educational or leadership responsibilities (…) to feel a sense of responsibility, to ask themselves what the right path is, and to walk it themselves first. (…) In today’s passage, we find another very significant phrase, which exhorts us not to be presumptuous and hypocritical. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Lk 6:41). How easy it is to notice the faults and sins of others whilst failing to see our own! And how can we tell whether our eye is clear or obstructed by a log? The answer lies in our actions. It is Jesus who tells us this once more: “Each tree is known by its own fruit” (Lk 6:44). The fruit consists of our actions, but also our words. (…) Indeed, a good person brings forth good things from the heart and the mouth, whilst an evil person brings forth evil things. (…) Feel a sense of responsibility and take pride in offering a Christian witness capable of renewing society both inwardly and outwardly. (John Paul II, homily of 1 March 1992)
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to 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.
From the Gospel according to 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."
The Gospel of Luke has once again put before us Jesus’ question: “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” (Lk 6:39). The Lord means to say that a guide cannot be blind; he must see clearly, if he is not to risk causing harm to those entrusted to his care. Jesus thus calls the attention of all those who have educational or leadership responsibilities (…) to feel a sense of responsibility, to ask themselves what the right path is, and to walk it themselves first. (…) In today’s passage, we find another very significant phrase, which exhorts us not to be presumptuous and hypocritical. “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Lk 6:41). How easy it is to notice the faults and sins of others whilst failing to see our own! And how can we tell whether our eye is clear or obstructed by a log? The answer lies in our actions. It is Jesus who tells us this once more: “Each tree is known by its own fruit” (Lk 6:44). The fruit consists of our actions, but also our words. (…) Indeed, a good person brings forth good things from the heart and the mouth, whilst an evil person brings forth evil things. (…) Feel a sense of responsibility and take pride in offering a Christian witness capable of renewing society both inwardly and outwardly. (John Paul II, homily of 1 March 1992)