Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Way beyond words and deeds

LET’S be most careful with our judgments. Yes, we are made
to judge, and that’s simply because we are spiritual beings with
intelligence and will whose operation is precisely to know, to think,
to judge, to reason, etc.

            We cannot know things, we cannot develop and grow, we
cannot have some semblance of justice and love unless we make some
judgments. We just have to make sure that our judgments do not go
beyond the limits that we are all subject to.

            Our judgments can only be relative, never absolute. Or
better said, we can make absolutely right judgments, but always based
on facts and data, on objective truth and fair laws, and always given
in the context of charity and mercy. Outside of these, we would be
making improper judgments.

            These latter are what Christ warned us about. Remember
when he said: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged.” (Mt 7,1) We
should be careful when we read the gospel, otherwise we will come out
with funny conclusions. If considered only in itself, this passage can
make us conclude that we should not judge at all. And that’s funny.

            But the second line after that somehow puts those words in
the right context. “For with what judgment you judge, you shall be
judged; and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to
you.” These presume that we judge, but that we should judge properly.
That’s the catch.

            We have to realize that our judgments can only go so much
because we obviously do not know everything, especially the most
intimate core of one’s thoughts and very being. We cannot make
judgments that go beyond what we know as our basis for such judgments.

            Yes, we can make some judgments on a person’s words and
deeds, but always based on some verifiable facts and made according to
some agreed laws and standards. Beyond these, we should not make any
judgments. That would be foul. We would be overstepping.

            Only God can make the absolute judgment on any person and
event, since he knows everything. And what we know is that God loves
all, including those whom we consider to be in error according to our
human standards.

            Christ precisely made this clear when he said that we have
to love our own enemies. Let’s again go through that wonderful gospel
passage if only to savor its divine message:

            “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and the unrighteous.

            “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your
own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do
that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt
5,43-48)

            Here we have the complete picture of how we ought to
judge. Yes, we have to make judgments, but knowing the limits, the
conditions and requirements that would make our judgments proper.

            What is clear is that while we make judgments, we have to
be charitable all the time. We should always make our judgments defer
to the absolute judgments of God who “causes his sun to rise on the
evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.”

            What we can derive from all this is that while we have to
make some judgments, we need, to be charitable to everyone, to go
beyond the words and deeds of persons, even beyond the strengths and
weaknesses of a person’s character and temperament, beyond the
different conditionings we all subject to—genetic, social, cultural,
historical, etc.

            We need to acknowledge the ultimate reality about
ourselves—that we are all creatures of God, children of his, created
in his image and likeness. He will love us still like crazy, in spite
of our stupidities.

            Remember that beautiful passage from the Book of Isaiah:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion the son
of her womb? Even these may forget but I will not forget you.” (49,15)

            Let’s be quick to understand each other, ready to forgive,
sport in our differences, magnanimous in our victories and gracious in
our defeats. Let’s not waste time keeping grudges, living in fear and
enmity with others. We would be wasting our life that way!


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