Do not Judge: Notes on the Homily for the 7th Sunday

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The Gospel message is really hard today. It's a real challenge. As I listen and pray with the Gospel it feels like an examination of Conscience. 

Let's take a real life Scenario. In the news this week we have heard about Shamima Begum and the fact that she wants to come back to England. I was talking about her and saying of course she should not be allowed back into the country. My first reaction was to agree with the news and other agencies. Then I read todays gospel love your enemies pray for them do not judge be compassionate. I then realised I had done everything in this case. I was happy to listen to the news and take it and be like the rest of the world. 

Praying the Gospel I began to feel uncomfortable. Here I am always ready and quick to judge, and make a judgement without the full facts. I act harshly towards those who I do not see eye to eye with and am ready to critizie. The Gospel teaches us not to think as People think but to always walk in the Spirit to see as Jesus sees with Compassion and love.  He teaches us to look and think and be in the present moment always with Jesus. In another part of the Bible we learn that we must pray constantly or always be walking with the Lord by our side In the prayer of St Theresa of Avila a Doctor of the Church she says 

“ Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”


This is a real challenge to be Christ to others. In todays world we tend to think of this as left to the professional Christians it is their job after all. Well are we not all professional Christians not just the ordained minister or the Religious Sister. Theresa reflects St Paul in the letter to the Corinthians that we heard a few weeks ago that we are part of his body we belong to him. We are therefore his instruments . Of his peace and compassion It is not left wing to reach out to those who hurt us or to be compassionate it is actually Christ like it is being different from the world it is being culturally different challenging society not fulling in by the side of it. I realised this week how many times I do this falling on the side of popular society so that I don’t stand out from the crowd but wearing a collar I realised that naturally I do this. We need to always be different from society and look through the world with God’s eyes 

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