March 18, 2019

THREE   THOUGHTS 

ABOUT  JUDGING 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today -this  2^nd Monday of Lent -  is, “Three  Thoughts About Judging.”

Today’s gospel - Luke 6: 36- 38 - addresses the issue about judging - which many people - judge themselves guilty about on a regular basis.

Like everyone, I have often thought about this issue about judging others.  So let me give 3 thoughts about judging in this homily.

FIRST THOUGHT: SAY, “I’M WRONG.”

The first thought is to say to oneself, when one makes a judgment about another,  “I’m wrong.”

Everyone thinks differently. Even identical twins. Our experiences effect our thinking - so our motives for doing what we do, comes from our experience with why we say what we say, why we think what we think, and why we do what we do.

1 million things, inner conversations, outer experiences, are all different in every human being - so how can we think alike?

We get angry or we inwardly say when another judges our motives, “Wait a minute. You don’t know why I just said or did what I just  did, so stop judging me from your motives.  They are your projections - not mine.”

Golden rule: We don’t like it when others judge us, so stop judging.

I’m wrong every time - because motivation is multi-layered, multi-reasons, multi-backgrounded.

Wait a minute! Get your hands on  a memory when you judged someone and you found out you were dead wrong. Say to yourself, “Remember that experience, that last time you  judged and wow was I so wrong.”

Here’s an experience: Someone is sitting there and they see a boy turn around and look back at a girl - 3 rows behind. He keeps doing it.  Surprise we find out that he’s not looking at her, but he’s turning to check the clock just over her head on the back wall. He wants out of there because he has to go to the bathroom. She thinks he’s looking at her. We think he’s checking her out. Nope.

2) THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUDGMENT AND PERCEPTION AND SECOND JUDGMENT.

Second message: some people are big on perceiving; some people are big on judging.

It’s not’s virtuous.  People are often just one way more than the other.

A person walks into a store or a church or a room and says, “This room is stupid, the way it looks or is laid out.”

Another person walks into a store or a church or a room and says, “Interesting, the way the pretzels are right across from the Coca Cola.”  Or,  “Interesting the way the benches are.”

I score high on perception. Others score high on judgment on Judgment-Perception Surveys or Self-Tests.

It’s the next step where judgment takes place - after we understand our first reaction.

Some people automatically make a judgement. There is no sin involved.  Some people automatically make a perception. There is no virtue involved.

3) GO FOR BIG COMPASSION

My third point comes from today’s 2 readings - especially the Gospel.

Jesus says have great compassion and mercy in judging others.

Jesus says that the measure we measure with comes back at us.

If we’re stingy with compassion and understanding, yuck. There’s a better way to be.

I love the joke about the one armed fisherman or a one armed golfer.

Did you hear about the one armed fisherman? He caught a fish this big.

Did you hear about the one armed golfer. He missed the putt by this much.

In both cases I’m putting one arm out.

Well, with regards judging someone, miss by this much. Hold out one arm.

Enough.

How are you judging my homily?  Sorry, I had a crazy morning - and didn't get enough time to do this better.