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.
— Matthew 7:1-5
The peace of the Lord be with you. Judging. This is very hard to stop or control. Most of my judgements are never spoken they lay quietly and destructively in my inner life. It is these silent judgements that trouble me the most as I examine my conscience at the end of each day. Many of these silent judgements made about others have their roots in failings I have in myself and do not want to address or take ownership of yet.
Jesus warns us today how destructive this can be to us and to our relationships with each other. Judgement rightly belongs to God alone, for God who knows the back story and forces at work that have informed our failures in love. God’s judgement is not about or intended for our destruction but to offer a chance to change and to be healed.
Today Lord God please keep me free from making judgements and fill me with your great mercy — that mercy embodied by Jesus which has redeemed the world. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.