Who Are We to Judge?
June 23, 2025 - Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 7:1-5
“If you lived among the angels, you might still think many things were wrong—simply because you didn’t understand them.” These words from Saint John of the Cross remind us how limited our perspective really is. Even among devils, he says, it’s better not to obsess over their actions but to stay focused on God. That might sound extreme, but it’s a powerful commentary on Jesus’ own words:
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1).
Judgment is everywhere today. Social media thrives on it. We size people up in seconds based on what they post, how they vote, what they wear, even what church they go to. But Jesus invites us to take a radically different posture: not of superiority or scrutiny, but of humility.
This was already a challenge for the early Christian community in Rome. Paul had to deal with two groups tearing each other apart:
– “Strong” Christians—mainly Gentile converts—mocked the Jewish believers for sticking to kosher rules and Sabbath traditions.
– “Weak” Christians—many from Jewish backgrounds—criticized the Gentiles for being too loose and irreverent.
It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Today the fault lines may be different—liberal vs. conservative, traditional vs. progressive, old vs. young—but the spirit is the same: “I’m right. You’re wrong. And I have the right to say it.”
But Paul doesn’t take sides. He asks the deeper question:
“Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant?” (Romans 14:4)
In other words: You didn’t create that person. You don’t know their whole story. And you don’t sit on God’s throne.
Instead of judging each other, Paul says, we should be asking a different question:
“How can I live in such a way that I don’t make it harder for someone else to follow Jesus?” (see Rom 14:13)
Jesus also warns us: when we’re so focused on the “speck” in our neighbor’s eye, we forget the log in our own. And sometimes, in our eagerness to “fix” others, we damage people God is still working on.
Imagine if the Church had written off Saint Augustine during his wild years, or dismissed Saint Teresa of Avila before her midlife spiritual awakening. We would have lost two of the most powerful voices in Christian history—just because they took time to bloom.
To those who want to uproot the weeds early, Jesus says: Wait. Let God handle the harvest.
So today, when we’re tempted to criticize, condemn, or categorize someone—pause. Ask:
What might I be missing in their story?
What log do I need to face in my own eye first?
What would love do here?
In a world quick to judge and slow to forgive, the Christian call is the reverse:
Quick to listen. Slow to speak. Rich in mercy.
Because in the end, only God sees the heart. And only God gets the last word.