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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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why is it so harmful to judge other people?
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Because judgments lead to generalizations.
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For example, if a child is bit by a dog once, then he or she can develop a fear of dogs. Suddenly, every dog is dangerous.
Or, if you have one bad meal at a restaurant, it’s easy to say, “I’ll never return.”
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While we need to make certain judgment calls to protect ourselves, what Jesus warns us about is judging the morality or character of another person.
For example, if we judge someone for losing their temper once, then it it’s easy to say, “Oh, he’s an angry person.”
Or, if someone makes one impure joke, it’s easy to say, “That’s an impure person.”
But it’s not the business of Christians to be the confident moralist who passes judgement on those who stumble – not publicly, and not in the silence of our hearts.
As Mother Teresa once said, “If you spend all your time judging other people, then you have no time to love them.”
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Perhaps we should examine our hearts today and consider how we see other people. Have we developed unfair judgments of others?
Or do we readily forgive and offer a second chance?
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“For as you judge,” Jesus says, “so you will be judged.”
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