2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18 / Matthew 7:1-5
Whenever we read the gospels, there is often this mention of the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans.
If we ever wondered why, then the 1st reading gives us the reason as to how all that began.
For having constantly gone against the Lord God by worshipping idols and sinned over and over again without repenting, the Lord God let Samaria be captured by Assyria in 710 BC and almost all the inhabitants were deported, leaving only a handful of the population behind.
Over time the remaining Samaritans became a sort of mixed race and though they were Israelites, the Jews of Judah despised them for being impure and unworthy to be called Israelites.
But in reality, the Jews of Judah were no better than the Samaritans in that they too have sinned against the Lord.
The Jews of Judah made a judgement on the Samaritans but actually they were not any better.
And Jesus reminds us in the gospel not to judge others because we must realise we too are sinners and that we too have sinned against the Lord God.
But the Lord God loves those who are humble and contrite of heart and who turn back to Him in repentance.
Let us ask the Lord God to remove the plank of sin from our hearts so that our eyes can see clearly who we really are and also see that God is merciful and will always forgive a repentant sinner