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 . By T.V. Antony Raj

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A young newly married couple moved into the house next door to Mark and Lucy.

The following morning, during breakfast, Lucy saw her new neighbor hanging the wash to dry.

Lucy pointed at the clothes and said to Mark: “Do you see that? Their laundry is not so clean. That young woman does not know how to wash clothes.”

Mark remained pensive. He did not comment.

The following day too, Lucy pointed at the freshly laundered clothes and said to Mark: “Perhaps that young woman is using cheap laundry soap.”

This fault-finding went on unabated for the next couple of days.

The following Monday, Lucy was surprised to see a batch of fresh clean washed clothes on the line in the neighbor’s yard.

She pointed at the clothes and said: “Look, how clean and fresh the clothes are. That girl has finally learned the art of laundering. I wonder where she learned to wash so immaculately within a week?”

Mark smiled wryly and said: “Last evening after you went to visit your mother I cleaned that window pane.”

Jesus said:

“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.”

(Matthew 7:1-5)