Thursday, May 21, 2009

Why we shouldn't judge others

Sin can be subjective AND objective. When someone else sins, we know what they did, we do not know why they did it or their intent behind the sin. Did they know it was wrong before they did it? Have they justified it beforehand? Was it an implusive action? Whether someone is actually culpable of the sin shouldn't be in debate. Remember that culpability is a measure of the degree to which an agent, such as a person, can be held morally or legally responsible for their act. I mean, we cannot read minds folks. Just think of the possibilities..if we could only read women's minds...i try all the time but am always so wrong!! We have inferior capabilities in reading minds and hearts, it's a fact.

How can we ever really know why someone acts the way they act? We cannot since we do not know whether their conscience is developed, undeveloped, or numb because of ignorance. All of this can get very confusing, and is why God does not want us to get involved in it. God wants us to accept, forgive and love one another no matter how painful. Imagine how much pain we cause the Lord when we turn our backs and sin against ourselves and Him even when we know better. He forgives us, so we are called to do the same. We shouldn't be judging others because we never know the heart of that person. Remember that God will judge us if we judge others. It's a trade. In accepting, forgiving and loving others without seeing a return of that love, acceptance and forgiveness we move closer to holiness, closer to Jesus. If He can demostrate all of that while hanging on a cross, bleeding and dying, we can do it too.

Judging others is very easy to do, we all do it, and sometimes do it without even thinking. Some judgement is born out of anger, envy, and principle. Some judgment is born out of resentment. All of it leads to more sin and a longing of worldly possession and that is not good. There is an anger some feel justified in having and is very dangerous if not displayed correctly.

Righteous anger.

It is not a justifiable reason to judge another. Case and point Father Jenkins from Notre Dame. In having Obama address the graduates with a commencement address and receive a honorary degree, many feel he has betrayed the primacy of truth and disgraced Church teachings. It may very well look that way, but can we really judge another even with righteous cause? How do we know what is in Father Jenkins heart? We do not. Only our Lord knows this. He needs us to pray for Father and be a voice of truth. Not to tear him down and judge him for his actions. You can apply this endlessly. Its like "the devil gets a two for one special", in the great words of Fr. Mictch Pacwa. Someone has already been tempted and now others will fall to sin in judgement of that person or persons. Righteous anger is healthy to have, but needs to be diciplined. This carries me to my next concept. Catholics can sometimes be righteous to a fault. It drives people away from the Church.

I support EWTN, and I have no guilt in saying so. No, it is not a alternative magisterium, it is merely a supplement to her teachings. I have gained strides in my faith life from the EWTN programming and find it spiritually uplifting and supportive. I have yet to hear anyone that speaks locally or nationally on that station that harbors opposition against church teachings. They syndicate Vatican radio for crying out loud! Oh, but there has been books, multiple forums dedicated to the thrashing of Mother Angelica and EWTN. This is heartbreaking. While Mother and anyone who speaks on the station are human, and not perfect, and have their opinions, none of them are influenced by the evil one like some say. I lose respect for theologins that say things like this, since they do not know the heart of these people. The intent of the programming is very clear. To bring people closer to Christ and to support Catholic issues and the magisterium. How can we evangelize the full truth and invite people to full communion with the Church and it's sacraments when we are fighting amongst oursleves. Scrutinizing others is not the pathway to holiness and sainthood folks. This is silly and needs to stop. I'm not judging those who do it, but i pray for them that they might find a way to cease their judgement. That folks is the eventual and consistent answer. Prayer.

Prayer. It is mightier than anything and compliments everything we could say or do. Through prayer we repent for our judgment of others and can hear the Lord's will for us and when enacted can bring about much joy and love in all that we encounter and all we do. Remember in prayer, to give the Lord a chance to answer back. Don't rush or dominate the conversation. Be patient and listen, He has something to say too!

God Bless
Dennis

10 comments:

  1. I think you're right in saying we must understand the heart before judging another, but if someone in a public role decides to take on a certain topic, they have a responsibility to research the topic well first. This is especially necessary when the person is a religious leader and many people could take their word based on trust. If they are wrong in their teaching, I think its okay to be upset about it and they need to be held accountable, just like the rest of us. Good thoughts :)

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  2. That is very true and is what we call righteous anger. They should be accountable, like all of us, but my point is we should not judge them. Good point Morgan!!

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  3. Denny - Great blog brother. I like your approach - dealing with tough issues in a Christ-centered way. I think you would really like this book - "Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles " by Raymond Arroyo. If the Holy Spirit wasn't working through Mother Angelica, then there would be no EWTN. Like you,I love EWTN.

    Also you're right, it's too bad that there is rightoues judgement out there - people need to be very careful. In addition though, Catholics in the public arena have a large responsibility and I think it's Father Jenkins defiance of the Bishops that people are upset about: “Catholics in Political Life,” a 2004 document of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which states: “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” As Christians we must help our brothers and sisters in Christ when they error, but do it without judging.

    Again, great blog. - Zach

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  4. Well put brother! Thanks for the very helpful and supplemental input. Like Morgan said as well, it is very important we hold these Catholics that are in the public image accountable to the fundamental and moral principles of the magisterium. I also want to point out that your last comment seals the deal for all of us, we need to help them, not cast them out. I feel if more christians prayed before spoke, we would have a much different cutlure amongst us. Prayer is a effective way to support our brothers and sisters, whether Catholic, christian or athiest

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  5. How can we 'admonish the sinner' without coming across as self-righteous or judgemental? I'm still trying to walk that fine line in the relationships in my life. At times in my life I really feel as if God is calling me to do more than pray for someone. I'm not 'judging' their actions... but when a brother sin Christ skips Mass or openly-verbally shares his lust for a sister in Christ or a sister in Christ shares her intent to have an abortion... They may not be aware of the sin... but sometimes, Jesus is calling us to lovingly reach out and help them avoid the effects of the sinful behavior. I fear my best intentions of helping them avoid the hurtful effects of the sinful behavior may at times be perceived as over zealous & self righteous.

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  6. Some more good points brother Casey! I feel we are called to unveil the truth at all times, even in the face of percecution and opposition. Again though, your actions cannot be judged as well, as your intentions are right and your heart is true, but they may not know that either way. It is a tough call and a fine line to walk. Just as Zach and Morgan touched on, we have a obligation to the full truth and the church's teachings (which support that) When they are about to be compromised with sin, we have to speak up. Prayer just gives us the extra ammunition we need, prayer before we approach if possible can only welcome the graces needed from our Lord to continue unveiling that truth to others. This is fun, i love just talking about our vocations! God Bless you Casey and all you do for our Church! To all of you who don't know, Casey is a youth minister at Immaculate Conception in Everett, a annointed and charismatic talent with amazing gifts as far as i'm concerned!

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  7. Fr. Pacwa is a great preacher--I used to love to listen to EWTN radio but since moving to Lake Stevens, the reception is horrible. I know I can listen on my computer, but I always forget, for some reason.

    Judging without real knowledge of the truth is dangerous. Can't tell you how many times I've been proved wrong about this person or that, thinking I knew all about them, and then, wham!, I was surprised to find I had judged wrongly.

    I took my two younger kids for a walk today and the sun was shining and everyone was happy--decided to pray the Rosary as we walked. Got a lot of things on my mind as far as planning for Religious Ed and such. Being Thursday, I picked the Luminous Mysteries--which were really great for meditating on these issues. This is what came to mind...

    Baptism of Jesus: it all starts with Him, we catechists get our mission from Him.

    Wedding at Cana: the Sacrament of Marriage gives parents the grace to teach their children, make sure they're involved.

    Preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven: our primary mission is to deliver the Gospel faithfully and help kids enter the Kingdom.

    Transfiguration: Jesus shows us His glory and Moses and Elijah are there too--the saints are there to point the way to Jesus, imitate them.

    Institution of the Eucharist: our short-term goal is to help kids understand and receive the Sacraments, especially Communion, to bring them closer to Jesus.

    I've got a lot on my plate this year. It's good to be reminded to pray about it instead of just moaning and groaning.

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  8. LeAnn. So awesome!! Our Lord has to be pleased you are praying the rosary. You are already pleasing Him raising that wonderful family in the way that you are. How you are taking part in so many other young children's Catholic formation all the while raising your own, i have so much respect for you. May God bless you and shower his graces upon you and your ministry! Holy Cross is blessed to have you and your husband dedicating your time all while raising a family as large as yours. May we learn from your selflessness. It is so warming you find your refuge in the prayer inspired by our Blessed Mother as you are so fittingly are a mother. I myself pray the sorrowful mysteries daily but should expand my horizons and meditate on different mysteries more often! Thank you for the inspiration LeAnn!

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  9. "Judge not, lest ye be judged" has always been one of my favorite admonitions from the BIBLE and "Hate the sin, not the sinner". It is hard and yet, compassion is what I believe we're called to do as Christians. So I really enjoy what you wrote. I think it is important to remember that we all fall short, but we must continue to strive for the perfection that only Christ can give us!

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  10. Very good points Angela, Thanks for visiting and sharing!

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