Monday - 2nd Week of Lent

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 6

7 Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows, 8 because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit. 9 Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. 10 So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.

“it’s not my place to judge” - what does that really mean?

Daniel

- show mercy to us: to you belongs justice, compassion, and forgiveness

Psalm

don’t remember our sins; we have been brought low as a result

then we will give thanks

Luke:

be merciful as your Father is merciful

commands by Jesus:

stop judging and you will not be judged

stop judging, condemning, forgive and give

stop judging, condemning, forgive and give

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 2

1 Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things

what does that look like in the Gospels?

the woman caught in adultery

did Jesus say that what she did was fine?

he spared her life and then said:

let the one who is without sin cast the first stone

Go and sin no more

what does that look like for us?

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 1

19 Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, 20 for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God

let us be slow to judge others but raise them up through mercy

example of St. Therese of Lisieux

would dote on the sister who was the worst to her

who do we need to forgive? who can we show mercy to as God has shown mercy to us? For if we don’t, God tells us that we will not receive

The Gospel of Luke Notes

The passive again signifies: “God will thus measure you.” A truly radical notion, that God adopts for the judgment of humans the standard they use in their relations with each other. The saying is paralleled by Mark 4:24 and Matt 7:2, and is given expression by the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:4; Matt 6:12).

“It is not my place to judge. That is God’s place” have you ever heard that phrase? It is true. God is our only judge. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, our intentions, and our actions. He is the only one who will judge us when we die and we learn in our first reading from Daniel that to God belongs justice, compassion, and forgiveness. Jesus in the Gospel tells us and that he does not want us to judge others.

In our first reading from the book of Daniel, the prophet Daniel prays to God and we hear that God is all at once: just, compassionate, and forgiving. Therefore it seems that we have a merciful judge. Jesus in the Gospel tells us and that he does not want us to judge others.

So if we are not supposed to judge others and believe that their intentions are evil or that they are not worthy of love or forgiveness. What are we supposed to do instead? Do we allow people to do evil things and for evil to proliferate in our lives and the lives of others all in the name of “not judging”?

Jesus tells us: “Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful”. This is the positive command that precedes and informs the commands to forgive, to not judge, to not condemn, and to give.”

In the Gospels, the shining example of what these commands looks like is the woman caught in adultery:

pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 8

Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 8

But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.

New American Bible: Revised Edition Chapter 8

So he was left alone with the woman before him. 10 Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”]

Do I see my fellow sinners with the eyes of the Pharisees or with the eyes of Christ? The eyes of the Pharisees seek to judge, hold grudges, and to condemn. The eyes of Christ sees a beloved Son or daughter of the Father.

Jesus judged the action was wrong but did not condemn her. He showed her mercy not by being permissive of her evil actions but by forgiving her and giving her another chance at life.

What does this mean for us?

rather than simply not judging let us go forward with Christ’s positive command to be merciful / compassionate (to enter into another’s suffering and help them in their need)

what does Jesus mean when he says, Judge not and you will not be judged?

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. οἰκτίρμων

to being concerned about another’s unfortunate state or misery, merciful, compassionate

are there those in your life that you are tempted to judge in daily living? In our families? friends? those on the news?

it would be easy

consider how you can shower them with mercy.

pray for them

assume the good and seek first to understand them

smile when you see them

be generous in giving your time to them and then

and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing

Catholic Daily Readings (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009).