See the wooden beam

There are people we know who we would describe as being good judges of character. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are connected to the theme of judgement. The Second Book of Kings describes the attack of the Assyrians on the ten northern tribes of Israel and the deportation (722 BCE) of the influential population to Syria. A surface analysis of this event may lead us to see the punishment of God in this defeat of Israel. The plea of the psalmist today is based on the sense of being rejected by God. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the history of the relationship between God and these people indicates that they brought the disaster upon themselves by rejecting their role as the Chosen People of God, ignoring the prophets and turning to pagan traditions. Friar Jude explains how the Samaritan people developed in this region as the poor Jews and the pagan population intermarried. The continuation of the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew turns to Jesus exhortation that we should not judge lest we be judged. Friar Jude tells a story to illustrate our tendency to see the flaws in others and avoid the self examination which would reveal our own need for transformation. Luis Rodriguez, SJ, draws the distinction between critiquing and criticizing in our relationships with the behaviour of others. People, today, are very sensitive about the choices they make and the ideas they hold. It is difficult for many to differentiate critique of their choices and ideas from criticism of their person. Our best path involves being examples of better choices and witnessing our own struggles and transformations. Our judgement of character is too often ignorant of our own bias and shortcomings.