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| ”Christ the Judge” by Laurent de La Hire, c. 1640 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Genesis 12:1-9
Commentary on Gn 12:1-9
In this passage from Genesis we find the beginnings for God’s interaction with Abram. In the previous chapter Abram’s father had come east out of modern day Iraq (Ur of the Chaldeans). Here God calls Abram, and commands him, with his nomadic family unit, to go into Palestine and then to the desert-like region south, the Negeb. Along the way Abram sets up altars for sacrifice in thanksgiving and prays to God for direction.
God greatly blesses the one he has called, pledging his constant support. In return, he asks him to leave behind all that he has known. “Jewish and Christian tradition sees the three things God requires Abram to give up as epitomizing the demands of faith: ‘Through these three departures—from country, kindred and father's house,’ according to Alcuin's interpretation, ‘is meant that we have to leave behind the earthly man, the ties of our vices, and the world under the devil's power’ (‘lnterrogationes in Genesim’, 154).”[4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Commentary on Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. These strophes rejoice in the active help God gives to his chosen people. God is constantly watching over his faithful people. His out-stretched hand is visible most clearly in times of dire need. The singer petitions the Lord to continue his kindness to those whose hope is in the Lord.
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Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5
Commentary on Mt 7:1-5
The beginning of the seventh chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus teaching his disciples about being judgmental. They are told to first look at their own transgressions before judging others. “This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Matthew 7:5 and 6, but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.”[10] “Jesus’ teaching on judgment is two-sided. He condemns judging others' faults (vs. 1-2; Luke 6:37). We are incapable of judging with fairness and accuracy since God alone knows the heart (Proverbs 21:2; Luke 16:15). However, Jesus commands us to exercise critical discernment (Matthew 7:6; 15-19; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Examination is necessary to avoid profaning what is holy (7:6) and embracing what is false (7:15).”[5]
“A person whose sight is distorted sees things as deformed, even though in fact they are not deformed. St. Augustine gives this advice: 'Try to acquire those virtues which you think your brothers lack, and you will no longer see their defects, because you will not have them yourselves' ("Enarrationes In Psalmos", 30, 2, 7). In this connection, the saying, 'A thief thinks that everyone else is a thief" is in line with this teaching of Jesus.”[6]
CCC: Mt 7:1-5 678
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Reflection:
We reflect today upon the relationship between Jesus teaching about being judgmental, provided in the Gospel passage, and his teaching about forgiveness, emphasized earlier in Matthew 6:14-15. The relationship between being judgmental and forgiveness is at the heart of the cliché “Love the sinner but hate the sin.” Jesus reminds us in very clear terms that we do not have the authority (or the wisdom) to judge others. We do not have God’s ability to see into the hearts of others to see their intent or the factors that have led them to act in ways we might consider sinful.
Our observations often cause us to identify or stereotype a person (or group) based upon actions we observe and judge to violate our norms of behavior. For instance, in the opening scene of the 1964 epic film Zulu, a missionary and his daughter are in a Zulu village witnessing a mass marriage between around fifty warriers and their prospective brides. From the perspective of the missionary’s daughter these people are barbarian – sinful because of several cultural factors. Yet in the eyes of the people themselves they are being quite moral.
This theatrical example is brought into sharper relief when applied to individuals or groups we might encounter. In a more recent and non-fictional example, a man was reported to have attempted a robbery at a convenience store in suburban Detroit , Michigan
In this example, we see clearly the link between the Lord’s prohibition against being judgmental and his exhortation about forgiveness. While we do not have the authority or the wisdom to judge others, we do have the ability and the responsibility to forgive those who may have harmed us. The logic of one supports the other. Since we cannot know the heart of the person who causes us injury, we may only forgive them.
Today, Jesus tells us to avoid being judgmental of others. We who have sinned do not have the right to judge the sins of others; that is for the one who is without sin. May we take his words to heart and in place of our rush to judgment may we rush to forgive.
Pax
[1] The picture is: ”Christ the Judge” by Laurent de La Hire, c. 1640
[2] S.S.Commemoratio
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton , NJ
[5] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco , CA. pp.18
[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton , NJ
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