judging – The Noontimes

1 Corinthians 4:3-5: Our Concern

Holy Monday, March 25, 2024

We have journeyed through Lent and now we arrive at the holist of seasons. On this Holy Monday, what do we see as our prime concern?

Now, I am not at all concerned about being judged by you or by any human standard; I don’t even pass judgment on myself.

How, then, do we view ourselves if not through our own eyes or the eyes of others Has Christ called us to another standard? And is this standard higher or lower than the one we have cleverly laid out for ourselves?

My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent.

Why do we bother to measure ourselves at all? Is measuring necessary? What do we gain or lose by pulling out a yardstick to compare ourselves with others?

The Lord is the one who passes judgment on me.

Can we say this about ourselves? Does God’s view matter more or less than the view of the world? We believe we know the answer to these questions, but does our life reflect our belief in the simple idea that God’s view matters more than the views of the world?

So you should not pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes.

Do we have the openness to consider the views and perspectives of other peoples, cultures and societies? Do we have the honesty to see our concerns as at least equal to the concerns of others?

Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people’s minds.

Do we have the patience, the persistence, and the honesty to allow God’s judgment to guide our lives?

And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve. (GNT)

Do we have the hope to live in the Creator’s plan, the fidelity to act in Christ’s body, and the love to live in the Spirit of God?

Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. (NABRE)

Do we pretend that our own power and resources can handle our concerns, or do we place all our concerns in the hands of God?

When we compare varying translations of these verses, we have the opportunity to explore how we form and how we act on our own concerns.

For more reflections on measuring ourselves, enter the words God’s Yardstick into the blog search bar and explore.

Image from: http://fatherdavidbirdosb.blogspot.com/2015/11/forgiving-forgetting-and-not-judging.html

March 25, 2024

God’s Yardstick, judging

John 7:14-24: Appearances

Friday, April 16, 2021

John 7:14-24

Appearances

We might picture ourselves in this story on the side of Jesus in this debate; and yet each time we judge by appearances we chose the side of those who are narrow-minded.

We might picture ourselves in this story as a member of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus; and yet each time we judge by appearances we chose the side of those who are short-sighted.

We might picture ourselves in this story among Jesus’ disciples who follow him up to Jerusalem; and yet each time we judge by appearances we chose the side of those who focused on themselves.

You circumcise a man on the Sabbath . . . are you angry with me because I made a whole person well on the Sabbath?

We seek the “in crowd” while we forget to look for the principles of those whose company we keep.

We long for comfort while we neglect the simple basics of life for the refugee, the homeless, the widow and the orphan.

We take pride in our country, our parish, our family, and ourselves while we feel no shame that our neighbors go without medical care, a diet that sustains or access to clean water.

Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.

We listen to and even pass on gossip. We remain silent when our co-workers ostracize a colleague. We believe that our pettiness can be hidden and that our transformation can wait for a more convenient day.

Stop judging by appearances but judge justly.

We gently yet firmly put an end to gossip in our lives. We speak carefully yet firmly about local and global injustice. We engage in acts of kindness that rescue and transform others and ourselves.

In this Eastertide that persists in announcing the Easter miracle, and in each day of our lives, our actions speak loudly about our relationships. Our actions say volumes about our image of self and God. Our actions declare how much we heed Christ’s words when Christ calls us to judge as we ought. With justice, rather than by appearances.

Image from: http://mymorningmeditations.com/2012/08/08/jesus-the-traditionalist-jew/

April 16, 2021

gossip, injustice, judging

Leviticus 10:1-3: Closing the Distance

Leviticus 10:1-3: Closing the Distance

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

When I read the Book of Leviticus I marvel at how closely these early people monitored their physical, moral and spiritual lives. I try to imagine living at a time when there was no FDA, no FDIC, no AMA, no Magisterium, and I begin to feel the need to formulate rules for everything. Of course, once the rules are set we will want to enforce them. And once we enforce them we will need to judge them. This thinking, in spite of the fact that it seems liberating, has the effect of closing us down. In today’s reading we see what happens when two people get too close to Yahweh in an unauthorized rite. This is not the God of the New Testament who invites us in, who yearns to live in the temple of our souls.

Jesus arrived in the world to set us free. He loosens the bonds of captives. He releases us from addictions, ailments, anxieties and fears. He invites us to open ourselves and to be as vulnerable to the world as he is himself. He invites us to incorporate with him as Light to the world, Hope to the world, Love to the world.

In the chapters following today’s citation we might read about the early Hebrew thinking regarding childbirth, leprosy, personal un-cleanliness, atonement and scapegoating. In the chapters previous we can find all we need to know about what foods to eat and not to eat. Out of necessity for survival, this early Hebrew nation was regulated to the smallest detail – inviting narrowness and judgment. Today, we who live in the Messianic times are free to explore God and to join in the constant renewal of creation. We cannot forget that we have been freed from all that frightens us, and we must act as if we believe the Jesus who stood in Nazareth and read from the scroll of Isaiah saying:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

Because he has anointed me

To bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To let the oppressed go free,

And to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

(Luke 4:18-19)

As twenty-first century Christians, we might proclaim the same to one another in Christ’s name. Let us bring glad tidings to the poor, including those among us who are poor in spirit. Let us abide with one another as we free those among us who are held captive by our fears. Let us be light so that others who are blinded might have sight. Let us witness to all kinds of oppression, whatever and wherever it may be. And let us proclaim a time acceptable to the Lord. Amen.

Written on October 7, 2008 and posted today as a Favorite.

Image from: http://www.danielharrell.com

October 23, 2019

freedom, judging, Luke 4:18-19, Mystical Body, rules

Tag: judging

1 Corinthians 4:3-5: Our Concern

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John 7:14-24: Appearances

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Leviticus 10:1-3: Closing the Distance

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