Judging others

JESUS said to His disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” REFLECTION BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL. These three verses are packed with invitations so characteristic of genuine Christlike attitude: Be merciful, stop judging, forgive, and give generously. In the Year of Mercy we deepened our appreciation of God’s mercy towards us in Jesus, the face of the Father’s mercy. Not to be judgmental is to recognize how we are all sinners before God who alone can judge us. To be forgiving is not to allow evil and hatred to overpower us but to make love prevail. And to be liberal, generous, and magnanimous in giving means to receive the fruits of what we have sown in measures we cannot imagine.

More than ever before, our world needs mercy, healing, understanding, forgiveness, and communion. In Syria, for instance, the elderly, women, and children have suffered so much because of the civil war. Hatred and mutual condemnation are prevalent, even on social media. If we, followers of Jesus, also participate in all of this, how can we be channels of mercy, healing, and forgiveness for our broken world? What kind of witness are we giving to people?

In a world increasingly becoming merciless, violent, divided, and egoistic, can we still “shine like stars” and become beacons of hope?