Judge Not
Here is a quote you’ll probably recognize:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2, NIV)
That biblical injunction to forgo judgment speaks to our tendency to judge others harshly while begging leniency for ourselves. I have no quarrel with the sentiment, but I can think of another reason we should not judge: We are terrible at it. We know too little of the hearts of our fellow men and women.
This week, I learned that a lifelong friend is a child molester. I’ve known this man since I was a child, myself, and I never had any suspicions of this sort. When we met, I was 10 years old, which I suppose placed me on the edge of his target group, but he never took advantage of his friendship with me. He was my parish priest. He taught me how to ring the bells at mass. He taught me how to hold the prayer book during the service. He taught me to be reverent around the altar.
So many wonderful things he taught to me, but demons must have been chipping away at his resolve behind the scenes. William Casey’s demons urged him to much more malignant activities. According to the local press, he eventually succumbed to some horrible demonic whisperings, and he admits it.
“Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” What a sad state of affairs when those who profess to represent Jesus on this earth forget to keep His love at the forefront of their minds! So many broken trusts…so many broken lives! How can we not judge this sort of news?!
I was going to rant against a celibate priesthood and quote Matthew 19:10-12, but I think I’ll leave that for another day. Today, I’ll just stick with the thought that we should not judge. We know neither the worst nor the best of the human heart. We’re not well suited to judgments, and we miss the mark more often than we come close. Instead, let’s pray for those who have been harmed by this scourge on our society. Let’s pray that victims will heal and that perpetrators will harm no others. Let’s pray for an end to child molestation. And let’s pray for the strength to live by God’s word while leaving judgment for the one who knows what He is doing.
Sincerely,
Mister Hippo
My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!
Sorry to disagree with a hippo…that could be dangerous! But, I guess I’m gonna have to. NO one, and I do mean NO one should ever harm our children. Things like this scar a victim for life…heart, body, mind and soul…there is no “erasing” what has happened, and the victim has to live with the results of some adult who could not or would not control urges. Those adults need to be held accountable for their actions.
Also, the Catholic Church has done a huge disservice to all those who have been victims by not speaking up and getting rid of those who would abuse the innocent children instead, they still hide behind the collars, failing to take responsibility for such actions committed under their watch. Those children trusted the men in collars, and while to most people, those men looked like “Godly” men: loving, kind, helpful; but to their victims what seemed to be the nice man turned into a monster pretending to be a man of God.
Ultimately, God will hold us all accountable, but here on earth, we have a justice system, and it needs to find those who abuse our children “guilty” and let them reap what they chose to sow.