Tony Worner, Leader of Formation for St Agnes Catholic Parish, reads from Matthew’s Gospel (7: 1-5) in which Jesus says, ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given.’ ‘Who am I to judge?’ must rank as one the best-known phrases of Pope Francis. Perhaps, Tony says, that’s because it touches a very sensitive point in our pluralistic cultures. It is often the case that our own faults are the ones we least tolerate in another person. This passage we’ve just heard focuses on leaving judgement to God and instead showing compassion for the weaknesses of another. However, Tony says, if we read this passage in the context of the Lord’s commands to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, it becomes clear that we need also to forgive ourselves. As we conclude, Tony invites us to pray: Lord, grant me the grace to notice when I am tempted to pass judgement. Help me instead to identify the particular fault in my own life and to pray for forgiveness – not only for the other person, but for myself too. Amen.
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