Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent

In most enlightened democratic countries, people accused of crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  In court it’s up to the prosecution to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  But even in lengthy trials with hours of testimony, mounds of evidence and twelve jurors weighing all the facts, wrongful convictions can still get handed down.  This shouldn’t surprise us.  How many times have we made a snap judgment about someone and condemned them without a second thought, and been dead certain we were correct?
Our Lord knew from experience just how wrong people can be.  He himself was accused of being a drunkard, a glutton, and a blasphemer.  We can’t read someone’s heart to understand their motives, yet we make judgments in matters that have little or nothing to do with us.  We criticize the people we see on the news and inwardly judge even those people we know if we hear some juicy gossip about them.  It’s as if we’ve judged them without a fair trial.
But even if we do get it right from time to time, what good is that?  In fact, our judgments on others do nothing but reveal our own hearts. When we cast stones, we show that our own hearts are stony.  And what’s worse, we call down judgment on ourselves when we do so.  To receive God’s forgiveness, we have to be aware of our own capacity to sin and be able to forgive it in others.  We have to learn to deal with our own weaknesses and failings so we can be instruments of compassion rather than condemnation.
With Our Lord’s help, we can recognize and root out these judgmental attitudes.  At every Mass, he is present in the Eucharist to bring us his mercy, so that we in turn can show mercy to others.  In Holy Communion, we receive the grace to see people as God sees us: as his children in need of patience, understanding, and love.  As we sow these seeds of compassion and forgiveness into our relationships, we will reap them in our own lives—and we will see the kingdom of God spring up all around us.