MONDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Ist reading: 2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
\r\nGospel: Mt 7:1-5

Theme: Stop Judging, that You May Not Be Judged

In the gospels of the past few days Jesus has been teaching us prayer, piety and divine providence. In today\'s gospel, he teaches us interpersonal relationship.

Jesus says the following words to us today: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.\"

Jesus is not prohibiting fraternal correction. He is not teaching us not to correct a sinful brother or sister. For it is our Christian duty to do so. When we see someone going astray charity demands that we bring the person back to the right way. What Jesus condemns is passing judgment on others and condemning them. We sometimes leave the act and condemn the doer of the act. When we read into people\'s hearts and pass judgment on them without correcting them fraternally we act contrary to the gospel.

Jesus\'s statement that we should first remove the splinter from our own eyes before removing the log of wood in the eyes of others means that we should examine our conscience, seek repentance and forgiveness and not neglect our own faults. Doing so will enable us help others better. Some of us neglect our own wrongdoings but focus more on the wrongdoings of others. The sinful actions of others are usually the object of our attention.

When someone is caught doing something wrong, people will want that person to be dealt with mercilessly whereas some of the people even do worse than that. The message is that the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.

Many of us act as hypocrites. Jesus wants us to do away with hypocrisy. He wants us to avoid the attitude of being quick to condemn others. The energy we spend finding faults in others, let us spend it correcting our own faults.

LET US PRAY
\r\nLoving Jesus, help us to put into practice your teaching today. Grant that we may not be fond of judging others but love them more. Amen.

Today\'s Bible Verse

James 2:13

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©️ Fr Thaddeus Anyaegbu O.P