The Fifth Monday of Lent

You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone. And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me.

It is human nature to judge by appearances. However, we should do our best to remind ourselves that our knowledge of others is imperfect. No matter how well we think we know someone we cannot know everything. We do not see their motives, their temptations, their secrets, or their moral struggles. As such, we should keep an open mind about our family, friends, and neighbors. They might do something that annoys or hurts us and tempts us to condemn them, but we should resist that temptation because it is not our right to judge others, but rather God’s. He knows the hearts and minds of men. This is not to say we should not blind ourselves to the faults of others, but rather that we should seek to help them overcome their failings with words founded in love.

Do we judge other people? Do we recognize God as our one and only true Judge? Are we willing to forgive others and to help them overcome their sins through acts of love?

O Lord, grant us the humility and wisdom to not judge others.

Amen.