Thursday – 9/12/2019 – Stop judging … period.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

That guy over there looks funny.

The woman in the red dress, I bet I know what she is up to.

Who are all these kids? Where are their parents?

Did you read the story about that guy? He must be horrible.

All around us, we see people who look different, act different, worship differently than we do. Does that make them bad?

Our lesson of the day.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Their skin is so much darker than my own.

They have a funny accent.

They worship God, but they call him by a different name!

Who are these people and why are they seeking Jesus?

I thought Jesus was our guy …

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

So much judging takes place in the world. It’s hard not to judge. We are human, of course.

But just because we might be wired to be judgmental, even discriminatory against our fellow human beings, does not make it right.

At least that’s what our readings today teach us.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

That is what Jesus taught us then and it is what he teaches us today.

Hard lesson to learn.

Especially when that guy over there refuses to pull up his pants. And that woman does nothing but chat on her cell phone when she’s in the line for confession.

Judging comes so easy … embracing someone with different beliefs and customs, well, that can be a bit of a challenge.

And it’s more than just tolerance … it’s acceptance.

Jesus ate with those considered “unclean” in his day.

What are we to do?

Must we really associate with “those people” …?

Today’s readings seem pretty clear on that point.

Stop judging.

Or be judged, yourself.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

About the Author

Dan McFeely is a Carmel, Indiana, writer, communications business owner, book editor and a former professional journalist. Dan also works as an Adult Faith Formation Minister, currently serving as a spiritual director for the men's and women's Christ Renews His Parish program at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Carmel. He is a graduate of the Ecclesial Lay Ministry program offered by the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana and has studied theology at Marian University.

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13 Comments

  2. An appropriate message at a time when the world has become increasingly inward-looking and judgmental. Thanks Dan.

  4. Easier said than done is today’s message.
    We need a constant reminder as the world in front of us goes in a different direction. The peace of Christ in our hearts, minds and soul can insure we not judge. Let us pray for that strength. Peace brother Dan

  5. I agree that we should not judge, yet do you think Jesus was judging when he said the pharisees were like white and clean on the outside but dirty inside? And He wondered why the other cured lepers did not come back to thank Him. Is that judging or condemning? He was human like us yet He is God, He has the authority I am curious what others think or what the Church says about this.

  6. Dan, so true that it is difficult not to judge. It seems those judgemental thoughts just pop into my head. I need to be more vigorous in pushing them aside.

    To pk’s question, Jesus has the right to judge. As God, He sees what’s in our hearts and minds. We will all stand before Him to be judged when our time comes.

  7. PK… I don’t think it is judging when you speak the truth… we humans have trouble identifying the truth but Jesus could see clearly and raised our awareness of our situations… The pharisees were hypocrites and He (Jesus) brought that awareness to them. He did the same with the woman at the well but miraculously did so without judging or condemning her. At least that’s my take.

  8. Let the Holy Spirit help us all find the balance between Jesus’ instruction not to judge and St. Paul’s instruction to admonish each other

    “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
    as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,”

  9. Great reflection Dan! It really is that simple, but so hard not to cross that line at times. A few years ago I heard Mother Angelica speak about judging that really helped clear up my own confusion about it. She said (and I’m paraphrasing) we have to judge actions (by their fruits you will know them) because we need the gift of discernment to know right from wrong, but we cannot judge the motivations behind the actions. That is God’s territory. We, of course, always give folks the benefit of the doubt, as charity calls for this, because we cannot know what’s driving them or what’s in their hearts. I hope this helps.

  11. Dan — Thank you for the reflection.

    Laura took the words right out of my finger tips. A lot of issues we have within the U.S. are because we do not “judge”. When we see something that obviously needs to be addressed or reported, we do nothing because “we do not want to judge”. And results of that have at times shown to be fatal.

    However, I would add that understanding motivations is helpful with discernment and taking any necessary actions.

  12. Thanks Dan, I know I’m guilty numerous times a day of judging others in both thought and word. Lord have mercy on all of us.

  13. Thanks for your input on my questions about judging others. I appreciate that you took the time to “discuss” in a thoughtful manner. Take care.

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