June 22, 2026 // Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint John Fisher, Bishop and Saint Thomas More, Martyrs // Optional Memorial of Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5
Reflect on the Word //
Most days the beam in my own eye makes itself apparent before breakfast is cleared away. And somehow, today’s beam is always completely different from yesterday’s. There is no shortage of the ways in which I need to evaluate my own shortcomings, be they interior or in my outward actions—and this is all before I even look at the Internet!
Jesus is clearly calling me to a higher degree of discipleship when He implores me to “remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Jesus is calling all of us to Confession and acceptance of His grace and correction. It’s a call to action, to great holiness—not just a call to introspection. And it frees us to support those around us as they strive to root sin out of their own lives.
We see this in the lives of the Saints like Saint Thomas More, whom we remember today. He let the Lord perfect him, and he was courageous in calling out the error and sin he saw in the life and actions of King Henry VIII. Saint Thomas More did not act as if the errors and sins of the king were not his problem, but bravely called the king to repentance, even when he knew it could cost him his life.
Helping others recognize truth and acknowledge their sin only works if we ourselves live a life of holy humility. How can we know whether or not we are on the road to that holy humility? We might begin by asking ourselves if we’re willing to sacrifice for the truth to the degree Saint Thomas More did—to the point of martyrdom.
Relate to the Lord // What speck have you been focusing on in your neighbor’s eye? Where do you need to remove the beam from your own?
