It is so tempting to judge, we, as humans, cannot help ourselves. It stems from the first sin in the garden. Pride is at the root of this, we are all tempted to "be like gods". One way is to see ourselves above our fellow human beings and judge them. However, the gospel is very clear that when we condemn others, we condemn ourselves.
I know this sin quite well because frankly, I have a weakness for it...
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37)
But, we all judge EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Think about it:
Do you attend Church?
Do you discipline your children and teach them right from wrong?
Do you home school, send your children to parochial school, or live where you live because of a good school district?
What about crime? What about abortion?
We all judge, and if we say we do not , we are only being self-righteous.
But how do we judge? Are we:
self-righteous
hypocritical
unforgiving
resentful
"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.
For with the same measure that you use,
it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38)
As Christians, we are called to be:
generous
merciful
forgiving
patient
Now for the tough question, what do we do in the face of evil?
Today, I found a wonderful response to this question in the Columbia magazine. Greg Burke, in an article entitled Blessed John Paul the Evangelizer, explained the appeal of JP2 to young people:
"The pope did not shy away from tough Catholic teachings on sexual morality, marriage or the sanctity of life.
On the contrary, he did his best to make these teachings accessible, and he presented them in an attractive way.
This was part of John Paul's secret: People could sense his authenticity.
They saw someone who could demand of others because he demanded of himself.
They also saw the joy of one who has left everything to follow the Lord."
This post was originally published in April 2011.
if only there was more : generous
merciful
forgiving
patient
Christian or not! :) hugs!!
Posted by: kyooty | 11/23/2011 at 11:03 AM
great post, thanks
Posted by: Sharon O | 11/23/2011 at 03:07 PM