LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, June 22, 2026
I did not create you to live as a critic of others but as a recipient and witness of My mercy. Let My grace transform your heart first.
LIVE IT TODAY: Monday, June 22, 2026
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
SUBSCRIBE FREE: LiveITToday.us
LISTEN NOW: Live IT Today Podcast A new episode drops every Saturday.
GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I did not create you to live as a critic of others but as a recipient and witness of My mercy. Let My grace transform your heart first.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The clearest vision often begins with honest self-examination.
What fault in another person frustrates you most—and is it possible God wants to teach you something about yourself through it?
Jesus’ words can initially sound surprising. After all, throughout the Gospel He calls His followers to discern right from wrong. He is not forbidding all judgment. Rather, He is confronting a particular kind of judgmental spirit—the tendency to scrutinize others while remaining blind to our own weaknesses.
The image He uses is intentionally humorous. Imagine someone attempting delicate eye surgery while a massive wooden beam protrudes from his own eye. The absurdity is the point. Human beings possess an extraordinary ability to notice faults in others while minimizing, excusing, or overlooking those same tendencies within themselves.
One reason judgment comes so naturally is that it gives us a false sense of superiority. When we focus on another person’s failures, we temporarily avoid confronting our own need for growth. Yet Jesus consistently leads us away from comparison and toward conversion. The goal of the Christian life is not to prove we are better than others. It is to become more like Christ.
The irony is that self-awareness actually makes us more compassionate. The more deeply we recognize our own need for mercy, the more patient we become with the struggles of others. Saints are rarely harsh because they understand how much grace they themselves have received.
This teaching has profound implications for marriage, family life, friendships, workplaces, and parish communities. Many conflicts escalate because people become experts in identifying what everyone else needs to change. Healing often begins when we humbly ask, “Lord, what are You trying to change in me?” A family filled with that spirit becomes a place of growth rather than accusation.
Notice that Jesus does not say to ignore the splinter altogether. Once the beam is removed, we can help our brother see clearly. Love still calls us to encourage, challenge, and support one another. The difference is that correction offered from humility heals, while correction offered from pride wounds.
Build saint-forming homes by cultivating a culture of mercy. Pray over your spouse and children by name. Call daily upon the Holy Spirit. Be quick to examine your own heart, quick to ask forgiveness, and slow to criticize. The measure of mercy you extend to others often reveals how deeply you have received the mercy of God yourself.
“Now and at the hour of our death, we will be judged on our love.” (CCC 1022)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: What “beam” might God be inviting me to address before focusing on someone else’s shortcomings?
In My Home: How can I create a more merciful and less critical atmosphere within my family?
In My World: Is there someone I need to view with greater compassion, patience, or understanding?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one quality you appreciate in another family member.
Then pray over each person by name. Ask God to help them grow in humility, self-awareness, mercy, and compassion. Pray that they reject every lie of the Enemy, become more receptive to God’s grace, and increasingly reflect Christ’s love toward others.
Daily Challenge: Before offering criticism today, pause and ask, “Lord, what are You teaching me through this situation?”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
ENTER THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME: LifeTimeRide.com
Listen to the moving song, Ride Of A Lifetime:
Spotify | Apple | Other
TODAY’S SPONSORSHIP
Sponsored by the St. Thomas Aquinas Classical Academy, a non-diocesan K-12 school opening this Fall in Toledo, Ohio. Find out more: STAClassical.org | Email: Build@STAClassical.org
Built by TheStoryForge.us, committed to organizational excellence.
WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
Please share your prayer intentions in the comments at LiveITToday.us