Judge not lest ye be judged...

We must not make decisions or pronouncements about the holiness or lack of holiness in another. If someone loves God, or even simply recognizes His dominion, rejoice. Rejoice in the goodness of each person you know. Pray that God advance each person you know. Help God to do so.

-From Serving in Clarity by “Anne” a lay apostle

Judgment. For something that should be left to God alone, I think that we are all guilty of this. We all make assumptions I think about what intentions, desires, and motivations lay in other people's hearts. But this takes us away from the true objective in our lives: growing more holy in our own lives, and spreading the Good News in action and word, being a witness to the life and love of Christ.

By judging others, we put ourselves on a level with God, something we must never do. Yes, there are those in our lives that have wronged us. There are people who have committed crimes and injustices against the innocent. But we must refrain from judging these people, no matter how apparently blatant their wrongs may seem. There are two reasons for this...

First off, as I stated earlier, this draws us into a more negative mode in life. Judging others draws us further away from God, because in essence, we are trying to become like God when we judge, and there is only one Almighty in this universe.

Second, we can not know a person's heart and true intentions. We can not know why they commit certain actions. Perhaps there is a longstanding psychological issue, or some other reason, no matter how faulty, that they use to act out. We do not know for sure if they have full use of their faculties. In their hearts, they may be a suffering individual that needs help, but does not know how to express it.

It must all be left up to God. I m not saying that we should let others continually trample over us, and take advantage because we do not want to judge them. But a person can remove themselves from a situation, and make prudent decisions in their own lives, without passing a verdict on another's eternal soul.

Yes, this is all easier said than done. But it is true for even the seemingly worst of people: Hussein, Hitler, even Judas himself. Instead of dwelling on the pain that people have caused us, judging their actions, and what WE think should happen to them, let us leave it all up to our Lord, the true Judge of us all.

We have far too much to worry about in this life. We need to concentrate more on growing ourselves in holiness, and being there for others and helping them to do the same, in a kind and charitable manner. Let us leave the judging to God, and instead, say a prayer for the individual or group that wronged us, that they may experience the eternal mercy and love of our Lord.

Pax et bonum,
Dean

Sancte Benedicte, ora pro nobis.