Daily Catholic Lectio
Mon, 23 June 2025
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time – Monday
Genesis 12:1-9. Matthew 7:1-15
Judgment and Blame
“The judgment you give will be the judgment you receive.”
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches not only about personal moral living but also about how we live together as a community. To help His disciples grow into mature communal life, Jesus gives two important instructions: (a) Do not judge others. (b) Do not try to remove another’s faults without first examining yourself.
Jesus warns us that the way we judge others is the way we too will be judged. The measure we use for others will be used for us. In Greek, the original word for Jesus’ command is a single verb: mē krinete—which comes from krinō, meaning “to judge, to accuse, to measure, to criticize.”
Often, when we look at a person or object, we automatically begin to evaluate, label, or critique. For example, when someone hands me a book, I don’t just see “a book.” My mind instantly evaluates it: the title, the language, the thickness, the colour, the glossiness of the cover—and based on all that, I form an opinion. That opinion becomes a curtain between me and the book.
To “judge” is originally a legal word. In a courtroom, a judge gives a verdict only after listening to evidence. But in real life, we often judge others in a split second—by how they look, speak, act, or even dress. We build a wall between us and them, hiding behind our judgment.
Pointing out someone’s mistake can be part of our duty. But before doing so, we must honestly ask: does this fault also lie in me? Do I share in this weakness? That awareness should lead us not to condemnation, but to compassion.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that when we condemn a wrong, we must aim at correcting the act, not attacking the person (CCC 1861). The document Gaudium et Spes teaches us to respect and love even those who think and act differently from us (GS 28). Pope Francis, in Fratelli Tutti, says that judging others without understanding their story only causes division, not peace (FT 222).
A teacher once asked a student to clean the classroom windows. The student looked out and said, “The garden looks messy and dirty.” The teacher then wiped the window and replied, “Look again! It wasn’t the garden that was dirty—it was the window. Often, our judgments of others come from the stains on our own hearts. Before judging others, we must cleanse our own vision.”
Philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti said, “Observation without evaluation is the highest form of intelligence.” To see a flower as simply a flower, a mountain as a mountain, a person as a person—that is wisdom.
The father in the parable of the Prodigal Son never says to his returning younger son, “What did you do? What are you up to?” Instead, he runs and embraces him just as he is. That is a gaze without judgment. But the elder brother sees his sibling through a critical lens. His mind revisits the past, criticizes the failure, and distances himself by calling him “this son of yours” instead of “my brother.”
The “log in our eye,” which Jesus speaks of, is not something external—it begins in our own mind and clouds our vision. Only when we remove it can we see others with clarity, mercy, and love.
In the first reading, we see Abraham responding immediately to God’s call: “Go to the land I will show you.” He sets out in trust, without judging or questioning. That is the pure gaze of faith—free from analysis, criticism, or doubt.
And in today’s psalm (Psalm 33), we read, “The Lord watches over us.” The gaze of the Lord is one that does not condemn. It is gentle, merciful, and loving. May our eyes be like His!
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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