June 23, 2014
God’s relationship with his chosen people became sour because the people did not obey the laws and statutes God gave to their fathers. Instead of serving God, the chosen people served worthless idols. Indeed God as a parent always called the attention of His chosen people through the prophets and seers, but His people were in love with idols.
In the gospel the evangelist is reminding the people not to judge, criticize and perhaps even condemn others, but for us to look at our own lives first and see to it that we are living according to God’s law of love. For we might find ourselves like them or even worse so we have no credibility to criticize others.
We as followers of Christ and now members of His Church have forgotten the message he came to bring – LOVE. What the Lord is forbidding is to put the person down, to find fault in him, to put him to shame so that we would look better than he or she. That is not love, but pride. If we really love a person who needs to reform, we have the responsibility to help him or her to change. There is such a thing as constructive criticism whose purpose is to make the person see his wrong doing without insulting him or her. This is allowed because the purpose is to correct the person, not to put him down. St. Paul said, “Brothers, if a man is caught in some transgression, you who are spiritual should correct him in a gentle spirit, looking to yourself so that you also may not be tempted.” (Gal.6:1). This is the primary reason why we judge, to make a brother realize the error of his ways.
Notice that St. Paul says “you who are spiritual” meaning we should be living God’s law of love. And he says “correct him in a gentle spirit” which means not to put him to shame. In doing this, we need a lot of love, compassion, and patience. Let us not give up in helping a person to become better if we truly love him or her.