See Clearer Through Christ's Lenses

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

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Gospel of 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?..."

Judging Others   Why are we so quick to judge others?  Why do we see someone and immediately jump to conclusions as to who they are and what they represent? 

I spoke with a friend at church on Sunday.  There is an older couple who sits near the front.  She remarked, "Boy, they look terrible!  What has happened to them?  The hair is just so bad."  I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.  I, too, wondered the same thing.  Did they suddenly become biker people?  What was up with them? The couple's appearance has changed quite drastically over the last few months. We didn't see them for nearly a year, so I figure something must have happened.  The fact that this couple, despite the way they looked, returned to our parish was indeed a blessing.  I shouldn't harbor much judgment against them since they attend Sunday Mass once again.  

I feel like I have a huge log protruding from my eye socket whenever I look at someone and immediately think ill of them.  I may see a heavy set woman waiting at the bus stop carrying a Big Gulp in one hand and a cigarette in the other.  I say to myself:  "My goodness.  Why can't that woman get on a diet?  Does she realize she's killing herself?  Maybe she could afford a car if she'd ditch the cigarette habit!"  Then I drive along the road behind Mr. Pokey Britches yacking on his Cell phone.  I zip around him thinking, "Good grief!  Get off your *@#$ phone and go the speed limit!  For goodness sakes, get a better looking set of wheels.  What a piece of garbage with a duck taped bumper and peeling paint!"  

Okay, as you can see these are pretty extreme examples of judgmental thinking.  Every time I think badly of someone I'm hurting my own soul in the process. I'm going against "thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself."  I'm pretty much saying to Our Lord:  "I don't really care about this other person.  He/she is just a piece of trash.  I'm so much better!" Deadly sins of Mr. Pride and  Mrs. Vanity take over leading me into a sea of hypocrisy.  I'm not being a very good Christian.  My lenses are cloudy with self-righteous cataracts.  I don't see the good in others.  All I see is ugliness of their appearance and annoying actions.

See Clearer through Christ's lenses  Time to pluck out that huge log sticking in my eye.  Follow-up by laser-removing the cataracts clouding my judgment! Then put on a pair of Christ's lenses which allow me to see clearly the goodness in other people.  I must realize that as long as I judge others I will be subjected to judgment, too.  People may think my blog stinks and I have no "right" to write about religious stuff.  (The priests are supposed to preach, not lay people!)  So, knowing how terrible it feels to be judged by others in a negative way, I shouldn't refrain from negative judgment, too.  It's a hard thing to do!  It's hard not to recoil at the sight of someone who looks and smells bad.  It's difficult not to think badly of someone who's annoying, rude, or just plain weird.  

As I grow closer to Christ, I begin to see through his eyes, his crystal clear lenses.  I realize I should love others as much as Our Lord loves.  Refrain from judgments without all of the information present.  Remember that all people should be given the benefit of the doubt.  

-J.