THE WORD
2 Kgs 17, 5-8.13-15.18 / Mt 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? 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 rst; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Jesus condemns our judging others. We jump into conclusions without first knowing the facts, like the manufacturing plant owner who, during his surprise shop visit, saw a young man lazily leaning up against some packing creates and thought he was a regular employee. Disgusted with this behavior, he shoved 300 dollars into the man’s pocket and terminated him. The boy had left before the owner realized that he was just a delivery man.
We also tend to judge by appearance like the lady at the airport who found the man sitting next to her open a bag of cookies, she thought was hers, and started eating them. Though appalled, she ate some. When only one was left, the man reached into the bottom of the bag, broke the cookie in half, ate it, glared at the woman, got up and left. It was on the plane, when she realized her bag of cookies was actually in her purse!
Why do we tend to judge others? 1. Judging boosts our self-image. Pointing out someone else’s failure and tearing him down make us seem a little bit better. The experience is good for our pride, ego, and self-image. 2. Judging is often enjoyed. Human nature tends to take pleasure in hearing and sharing bad news and reveling in the shortcomings of others. 3. Judging makes us feel that our own lives are better than the person who failed. In other words, it builds us up in our pride.
Have we been guilty of passing judgment on other people because they do not live like we do? Has the Lord spoken to our heart about this matter? If He has then we need to come make it right and get the log out of our eye!
- Fr. Lex Ferrer, SVD | DWST, Tagaytay City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
