Safe in the Everlasting Arms
To the average English-speaking person, hardly any language would seem more "foreign" than Chinese. Yet some linguists claim that Chinese - in its structure, not script, of course - is closer to English than English is to its European parent languages.
Time and time again, reality checks reveal that things are not always just what they seem. We tend to judge by appearances, and hence we often misjudge - not just in linguistic differences but even in behavioral differences. If we could somehow take a "reality check," for instance, of a criminal's conscience, with all the subjective factors that go to determine "imputability" - that is, the actual moral responsiblity in God's eyes - we might be surprised to find little or no malice in many (not all) cases.
Judging a person negatively when there is a considerable risk of misjudgement is called in moral theology "rash judgement" - the sin most frequently committed and the one least often confessed. We tend to put "labels" on people: "He's just a drunk." "She's a mean-spirited person." "That kid is a brat." Labeling others as bad, while ignoring our own evils, can boomerang: "you who pass judgment on someone else...are condemning yourself" (Rom 2:1).
Except for juridical judging required for society to function (see Deuteronomy 1:16), "let us stop passing judgment on one another" (Rom 14:13), "for judgment belongs to God" (Dt 1:17). And he's fair!
This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net