Jesus said to his disciples, "Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so you will be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in you brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
The Word in other words
A 1994 classic film, "Forrest Gump", depicts the story of a naive and dim-witted man, who is able to unknowingly influence the historical events of the United States in the late 20th century. As a child Forrest wears leg braces and other children bully him for it. He is often insulted for being dumb. Fortunately he is athletically adroit, which enables him to become successful in college and the military, and eventually become popular in public. Despite his low IQ, he has an endearing character which is seen in his devotion to his duties and loved ones. The unconventional life of Forrest Gump calls to mid the adage:"Do not judge a book by its cover".
Judging people according to their outward appearance seems however natural and prevalent. External display tells us whether somebody is dangerous or friendly, suspicious or trustworthy. The Germans say, "Kleidung macht den Menschen" (Clothes define the person). What we wear reveals something essential about status of a person. We also think that it tells us about the economic and educational status of a person. This shallow thinking may lead us to overestimate the face may also be more intelligent, richer, and happier than the relatively uglier ones. That is why advertising agencies and cosmetic companies profit immensely from this prevailing human trait of superficiality.
Jesus admonishes us not to judge others rashly, according to their appearance or according to our moods and preconceptions. It is better to know the people before judging them. The imperfections of others, which we immediately discover, often disguise our own imperfections, which we seldom notice. We need to be aware that we don't always make the right decisions and that we often do the wrong things. Our lives are far from perfect, so we cannot expect moral perfection from others. We may disagree on disputable matters, but we should allow people to form their own convictions. When we search within our own hearts, we will find plenty of reasons to keep us humble before the Lord without being occupied with other people.
- Fr. Simon Boiser, SVD (Hamburg, Germany)
