From the holy Gospel according to
Luke, Chapter 6, verses 36 to 38
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| JESUS PREACHED, "THE MEASURE BY WHICH YOU MEASURE WILL IN RETURN BE MEASURED OUT TO YOU." Image from incaelo.wordpress.com |
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and and gifts will be give to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.
"For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
Personal Reflection on the Reading
Sharing for the Day
Once again, the Lord Jesus makes the self as one's basis of relating with others. We discussed this when we reflected about the Golden Rule last Thursday.
While the Golden Rule tells us about doing to others what one wants to be done to him or her in return, the measure being discussed by the Lord here is about our way of judging - even condemning - others. If we judge and condemn someone for example by their color, culture, custom, characteristics or creed the same will be used against us by the Lord.
It is not bad to criticize someone if necessary and if it is for the sake of leading him or her to change for the better. After all, there are standards by which we can criticize others like the laws , rules and regulations, public customs, traditions, etc. However, criticizing and judging or, more importantly, condemning are not quite similar. Criticizing may mean fault finding at times but positively it means pinpointing the fault in order to correct or avoid its repeat. While judging already carries with it an opinion or a decision about someone - usually negative. Worse is when we condemn because it means we have already considered someone to be worthy of penalty or punishment and - worst - it also implies that we are better off than the person we condemn and that's a very big question to respond to really.
Criticizing people just because we do not like them, or because we don't feel good about them, or just because they have a different color, culture, custom, characteristics or creed - especially when someone who belongs to his or her color, culture, custom, characteristics or creed have not been good to us or to the community or even to the world, is bad and not Christian at all. This type of criticism borders on judgmentalism and condemnation. One example is when we say, "That man is a non-Christian; he will surely rot in hell." We are already making a judgment and a condemnation which actually he may or might not deserve. Even the Lord Jesus Christ did not tell the Samaritan woman that she would rot in hell because she is not Jewish. He only told her that time will come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth [see John 4: 5-23]. He even made a Samaritan as an example of being a good neighbor in a story to the chagrin and anger of the Pharisees.
If we make religion as our basis in judging others, we shall also be judged by the Lord accordingly: have we perfectly followed our religion? Perfection in practicing religion does not mean strictly believing and following everything - Ten Commandments, Church commandments, dogma and doctrines, and many others - to the letter for that would be Pharisaical. According to the Apostle James, true practice of religion is taking care of widows and orphans, that is, being concerned about the marginalized and least privileged in the society, and keeping ourselves unstained, that is, avoiding the commission of sin [see James 1:27].
The best thing to do is think positively of others and when they do something that we think or even know to be bad in accordance with known standards as we mentioned above, we must give them the benefit of the doubt and remind ourselves that "a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty". More importantly, we must pray that whatever bad thing someone has committed, there must be some good intention or reason for it - though we do not tolerate the commission of evil even if the intention is good for the end does not justify the means.
Point is, it is not ours to judge or condemn anyone. Only God - and persons in authority in accordance with their duties such as judges of the court though this is somehow on a different level - have the right to judge and condemn. Perhaps if you could equal or maybe overshadow the Blessed Virgin and the Saints in virtue then maybe - just maybe - you could try judge or condemn others but judging [pun intended] the lives and examples of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints, I don't think they'd ever judge or condemn anyone.
Application of the Message
[1] Prayer
Pray for the grace to think well of others even if they do something bad reminding yourself that no one is guilty until proven otherwise.
[2] Abstinence
Try abstaining from thinking negatively about anyone even those who do harm to you.
[3] Almsgiving
Has someone tried taking something from you which is dear to you and you did not give it, instead thought of that person as a "thief" or "robber"? Could you share/give that something to that person this time?
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