Today,
the Gospel has reminded me of the Marshalling's words in Der
Rosenkavalier, by Hugo von Hofmansthal: «The big difference
lies upon the “how”». In many aspects of our life
—particularly our spiritual life— the end result will
change, depending upon “how” we do something.
Jesus
said: «Do not judge and you will not be judged» (Mt
7:1). But Jesus had also said that we are to correct our sinful
brother, and to do that we have got to previously make some kind of
judgment. In his writings, St. Paul does judge the Corinthian
community and St. Peter condemns Ananias and his wife Sapphira for
falsehood. Because of that, St. John Crisostom explains: «Jesus
is not saying we cannot prevent a sinner from sinning; we have to
correct him, indeed, though not as the enemy seeking revenge but,
rather, as a doctor applying the cure». It seems, therefore,
our judgment should be mostly made with an aim to mend, not to take
revenge.
But
what St. Augustine says is even more interesting: «The Lord
prevents us from judging quickly and unfairly (...). We should first
ponder whether we have not made a similar sin; let us remember we are
fragile, and let us always [judge] with the intention of serving God
and not ourselves». If, when we see our brothers' sins we
remember our own, it will not happen to us, as the Gospel says, that
with a plank in our eyes we try to take the speck out of our
brother's eye (cf. Mt 7:3).
If
we are well prepared, we shall see the good and bad things in our
fellow men, and almost unconsciously we shall form a judgment. But to
look at others' faults from that point of view will help us as to the
way “how” we judge: it will help us not to judge for the
sake of judging, or just to say something or, perhaps, to cover our
own deficiencies or, simply, because everybody does it. And, above
all, let us always remember Jesus' words: «In the same way you
judge others, you will be judged» (Mt 7:2).
