HARSH JUDGMENTS

GOSPEL

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us about our generous God. We

cannot outdo His generosity. The more we give, the more we will
experience the Lord’s blessings. We become more open and
aware of the blessings that have been there the entire time.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; You have the words
of everlasting life.

Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your

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Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be

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judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be
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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.”

think: How has God been generous to you? Like Him, are you
also generous to others?
SABBATH

HARSH JUDGMENTS

I am amazed at how some people use the word

combination “harsh judgment.” I believe judgments made
on people are always harsh. I mean, can we really make
judgments on people and remain tender?
We see a young Filipina walking side by side with a tall
foreigner and we easily conclude that she’s a bar girl
walking with her client. We see a man with well-built
muscles sporting tattoos on both arms and we say he’s an
ex-convict. We see a person who is shabbily dressed and
we say he’s a beggar.
I really admire people who are able to suspend their
judgments on people. People who are principled and
believe that each person has some good in him, or those
who are not easily drawn to think ill of people.
I know of a person who carries this kind of principle.
He is not easily drawn to make judgments on people. So
when he sees the above situations, he says: about the girl,
she must have just been approached by the man who’s
having a hard time going around the city and she’s just
helping out; about the tattooed man, he simply enjoys the
work of art done on his body; about the man who dresses
in tatters, he just wants to wear comfortable clothing. Call
it being naïve, but this disposition, for me, is really
admirable.
I believe this is the kind of disposition that we need to
have as Christians. We need to deal with people without
any judgments and not make presumptions on them as if
we are better. Fr. Sandy V. Enhaynes

------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------

Do you come to hasty conclusions just by sight?

May Your eyes of mercy replace my eyes of judgment, Lord.

Amen.