Vamshi Eedara csc –
Readings: 2 Kgs 17: 5-8, 13-15, 18; Mt 7: 1-5
Today’s gospel reading invites each one of us not to judge others, rather notice the weaknesses within us. “If you judge others, you have no time to love them,” says Mother Teresa of Kolkata.
In the gospel, Jesus suggests us not to judge anyone. We tend to judge others because we do not like them, or we have had an unpleasant experience with them. We then go on to pinpoint their mistakes or judge them wrongly.
Sometimes, our prejudice blinds a person from seeing others as they are. We begin to see persons not as they are, but as we are. We have our own standards. And the more we think our standards are better than others, we lift our own selves while we look down upon others.
We become prone to focus on what is wrong with others and forget our own wrongs. When we judge others, we are judging ourselves. Jesus today points out that we should first work on our own weaknesses, then we will begin to love others as they are.
In a community, we tend to love only people from our own state or culture. By doing this, we tend to think that others are wrong, or when they do good things, we tend to criticise or judge them.
Before criticizing others, we need to humble ourselves before God and repent for our sins. Then in humility we can serve others with genuine love, rather than with pride.