Judgement as a mirror: Reflection for Friday, April 4, 2025

I think many of us can be a little judgmental at times. I know it is easy for me to pass judgement. But often when I pass judgement on others, it is because God is holding up a mirror in my face to help me see my own faults. Readings for Today.

Judgement as a mirror

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you are judgmental, it is because you see in others the faults you struggle with in yourself? While for some it is the case they are harder on themselves than they are on others, I know that I can find myself finding every little fault in others, but not looking that hard at my own faults.

“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” I just started wearing progressive lenses, and I was surprised at how much they have helped me see more clearly. I had not really realized how my sight at a distance has gradually become less clear.

It can be that way in the spiritual life too. Little by little we can be so focused on other people’s sins that we fail to see our own. It can be the case, even, that I focus only on my spiritual successes and am not so much focused on those parts of my life where I need to throw myself on God’s mercy.

I think I can do things on my own. I think I can be in control. But control and independence are not the words of the spiritual life. We need to recognize our need for God to be in control. We can find that we are truly free not when we do everything ourselves, but rather when we admit we need Jesus to be our savior.

And the real tragedy is when we are so unable to see our own faults that those who are righteous, who follow God and challenge us, we can see them as obnoxious. We can see the good deeds they do as so little compared to what we want to be able to do.

“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” When we mock, or even worse, when we attack the righteous, it is really because we have no answer.

And the first reading goes on. Why is it we have no answer? Why is it we can find no adequate response? Because we are following the law we create, and not the Law given to us by God. “He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD. To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways.“

The righteous have knowledge of God, not just in a collection of facts, but in the deep intimate relationship of God when we hear, in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” But do we really know even a little about God? Or do we settle for God in our own image?

When we are challenged by the righteous for our wrongdoings and sin, our temptation can be to lash out. To destroy the righteous, so that we can go only doing our own thing. We can go on trying to so thoroughly control every aspect of our lives that we succumb to sin. And in this way we not only do not know God, we do not know his teachings, but we fail to accept the most precious gift God can give, the gift of our salvation.

judgement — Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

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