Monday March 18
Readings: DN 9:4B-10; LK 6:36-38
I am struck by the reading from Daniel. It is a stark admission that we have sinned (and we all do) and represents an attempt at telling the truth about what happened so that we can move on.
Imagine if we could individually and collectively do more of this? Just admit to people that we have hurt that we did, in fact, hurt them and want to make amends. Imagine if we could collectively tell the truth about what we have done in terms of oppression, slavery, abuses of human rights, etc. and be prepared to address what we set in motion by our actions. Imagine how much healing we could set in motion.
And, of course, the readings today emphasize God’s mercy. The great “Abrahamic faiths” of Islam, Judaism and Christianity speak all the time in their holy books about how merciful God is. And we are told to do the same.
The gospel says it clearly, “Stop judging…[and] the measure that you use for others will be used for you!”
I don’t know about you, but I judge a lot. I try not do, but I do. It just sort of shows up.
To be fair, though, I think that many of us have an ongoing self-judgement which is just extended to others! We inherited some very critical voices or were exposed to a lot of negativity or we have a lot of unhealed pain. Whatever the case, I meet so many people who are judging themselves all the time. If this is the case with you, working with your own self-judgements could be a great first step.
What’s the problem with judgement though? Why’s it so bad?
Judging is located in the dualistic mind, therefore we only have two categories that something can fall into: good/bad, up/down, love/hate, friend/foe, us/them, etc. This immediately breaks the fundamental unity that exists everywhere. Judging basically concludes that reality is separate-able AND often finds “worth” in some reality and has no use for another reality. This leads to some very dangerous possibilities.
The opposite to judgement is mercy.
Bryan Stevenson in his brilliant book, Just Mercy, reflects on the inhumanity of the modern criminal justice system (especially in capital punishment) and reminds us that, “each of us is more than the worst thing that we have done.” He goes on to say that an “absence of compassion can corrupt” – individually and collectively – leaving us vulnerable to acting out of fear or vindictiveness and ultimately leading us toward injustice and abuse.
Cultivating mercy restores wholeness and reconnects us. It works to do away with an us/them mentality and recognizes a fundamental unity that we all share. Mercy also does not absolve anyone from responsibility, but rather invites responsibility and accountability in relationship.
Jesus was a wise teacher. We would do well to heed his counsel to work on our judgements – of self and of other. Just for today, take time to notice all of the judgements you make – especially of others. What would it mean to replace those with some form of mercy?
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