Have you noticed how easy it is to see what is wrong—and how difficult it can be to notice what is good?

A priest gives a long homily: “Father talks too much!”

He gives a short homily: “He has not prepared.”

The choir sings loudly: “Too noisy!”

They sing softly: “No energy!”

The parish priest starts many projects: “Too ambitious!”

He starts nothing: “No initiative!”

Sometimes, whatever a person does, we can always find something wrong. That is exactly what Jesus encounters in today’s Gospel.

John the Baptist came living a disciplined and austere life. He fasted and lived simply. People said, “He is possessed by a demon.”

Then Jesus came. He ate with people, entered their homes, welcomed sinners and shared their tables. And people said, “Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard.”

John was too strict. Jesus was too friendly. Nothing was good enough. And this is the danger Jesus warns us about: a heart that becomes so critical that it can no longer recognize goodness.

There is nothing wrong with noticing mistakes. Sometimes we must speak about what is wrong. Sometimes correction is an act of love.

But there is a difference between discernment and fault-finding. Discernment asks: “What can be improved?” Fault-finding asks: “What can I criticize?”

And if we are not careful, constant criticism can slowly poison our relationships, our families, our communities—even our Church.

Eventually, we see only what is missing and fail to appreciate what is already there.

Perhaps Jesus is inviting us today to develop a new habit: Before looking for what is wrong, look for what is good. Before criticizing, appreciate. Before judging, try to understand.

Remember that God may be working in another person in ways we cannot yet see.

Perspectives

I remember the story of a teacher who asked her students to take out a sheet of white paper. In the middle of the paper, she placed one small black dot.

Then she asked, “What do you see?”

Almost everyone answered, “A black dot.”

The teacher smiled and said, “Interesting. All of you saw the little black dot. But nobody mentioned the large white space surrounding it.”

Final Words

Sometimes we do exactly the same with people.

A person may have a hundred good qualities, but we focus on the one weakness.

Someone may have served faithfully for many years, but we remember the one mistake.

Someone may have done ninety-nine things well, but we keep talking about the one thing that went wrong.

We see the black dot and forget the white space.

Brothers and sisters, nobody is without a black dot. Not your spouse. Not your children. Not your neighbor. Not your priest. Not your bishop. And certainly, not you and me.

So today, let us ask Jesus for a heart that sees differently.

Look for grace before you look for faults.

Look for goodness before you criticize.

Look at the whole person, not just the black dot.

Because sometimes, while we are busy looking at what is wrong with someone, God is inviting us to see how much goodness is already there.