The Gospel today testifies to a truth that remains up until this day. 'There has never been anybody who has spoken like this man'. There have been many wonderful teachers, speakers and leaders over the history of humanity. But none can compare with the lasting impact of Jesus of Nazareth and the words he spoke. What he spoke and what he taught continues to shape and inspire countless lives around the world
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Beginning today on the Hook of Faith we have a daily reflection on each of the Stations of the Cross. Thanks to Fr Jim Cogley for creatively drawing out the richness of contemplating the God who suffers for us and with us.
THE FIRST STATION - JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
Judgement
It is easier to fix the blame than the problem.
It is easier to recognize another’s faults than our own.
It is easier to wash our hands than to take responsibility.
Some religious people might see Covid 19 is a sign of God being angry while others believe that nature was out of harmony and is seeking to readjust. Either way we feel condemned by this virus so it has something to say to us about judgment.
Our judgements tell us more about ourselves than about another. A judgemental attitude is something we can be entirely blind to. We want another to change but are not prepared to see where change is first needed in us. We often expect a positive response from someone we are negative towards forgetting that what we reap is what we sow and what we give out is what comes back. A judgemental approach blocks a favorable response.
Jesus taught, ‘Do not judge so that you will not be judged, and as we judge so we shall be judged for the judgements we give out will be the judgements we will get back.’ The Judge sits in the highest place in the courtroom. To be judgemental is to sit in God’s chair where we assume we see the whole picture and know the entire story. This we never do. Hence we are only allowed to pass judgement on specific behaviors but never on persons. People rarely act from malevolence but from what seems right from their perspective and the more we know the whole story the less we are inclined to judge.
The ABC’s of Judgement are Anger Blame and Complain.
Being non-judgemental also extends to ourselves. We can easily be our own judge, jury and executioner, always harsh and punishing towards ourselves. Our self-criticism destroys our self-esteem leaving us never feeling good enough. Learning to drop our self-judgements, accepting mistakes as part of life and being self-compassionate are important spiritual disciplines as we journey through life and particularly through our current crisis.