Our gospel passage today tells that it is perfectly alright for us to point out to other people their faults and failures – in a charitable way – ONCE WE HAVE DEALT WITH OUR OWN FAULTS AND FAILURES SUCCESSFULLY and as completely as possible. And since this is usually a life-long project – our "fault-finding" and "failure exposing" expeditions with others ought to be few and far between.
Jesus says here, in any case: STOP JUDGING! first of all because it is just not charitable or productive for anyone involved; but not only that, YOU YOURSELVES WILL BE JUDGED IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT YOU DO JUDGE OTHERS! And he means that very sincerely!
On that great Judgment Day, that is surely coming, Jesus will be looking for two things: how much did you really LOVE ME IN OTHERS?; and, how JUDGMENTAL were you?, because now you will receive the SAME KIND OF JUDGMENT!
Oftentimes we are so quick to criticize – especially when situations, events and people are such easy targets! But we must always STOP and remember when we ourselves may not have always been as spiritually informed as we are now, how we may not have had as much training in the faith, and practice in its ways to be the more spiritually mature people that we are now – in other words, we must think back at the times when we messed things up too, and thought, said and did things that were not on the Christian target.
In the first reading today from the Book of Kings, eleven out of the twelve tribes of Israel were very much off-target – they FORGOT THE GOD WHO SAVED THEM, who did marvelous, miraculous and wonderful things for them . They wandered away from God – they sinned – over and over again – and so he said to them: FINE, WANDER, GO AWAY – GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! He said this to the eleven – only the tribe of Judah, which was truly faithful, was left.
May we imitate that tribe of Judah today! May we remain faithful to God! May we put his teachings into practice by the working of the Holy Spirit within us! May God be pleased with us – because we are getting better at not judging others and truly trying to love them as we have been loved!
Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us!
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