On Judging Others
Submitted by Lucille_ on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 08:29.
I have just read the misyon article "Who will Console Consuelo?" and it really touched me. There are many Consuelos around but sometimes, I fail to recognize them because self-righteousness dominates me.
I once asked Miladdie, who served the prison apostolate in Kabankalan if she was not afraid of them and she discussed to me how nice these people are.
Later, our organization, Bukas Loob sa Dios took charge of fourth Sunday Masses at the jail and a Bible sharing with the inmates after the mass. As a member, I also joined them at the time when I was still employed in NSCA-Ilog.
Truly, there is goodness in every person and their sharings are very reflective. They might have committed sins in the past but we also have the Christian duty to help them, as they too are our siblings in Christ. They might be physically chained by bars but they have the freedom to live anew and become productive in their own way. After all, not all of them are the real culprits...
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I have copied this from a friend's notes in facebook. This is relevant to my topic.
Lessons on Life
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches
and better times are sure to come some time or later.
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Being OF GOD
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. Such a good reminder for us to be more humane and hopeful.
Sometimes what makes it difficult is the fact that we just can't get away from biases. We think too much that we failed to use our hearts. So we tend to judge other people by what they have done. And we fail to recognize that the person is more than the doing, more than the physical appearance, even more than his personality. Because every individual is OF GOD.
Let us continue to ask for the grace of God that we may see Jesus in other people and that we will be Jesus for others.
God bless us all!
(",)
'Love is embracing all and loving especially the unlovables.'
Thanks for 'reviving' this
Thanks for 'reviving' this forum, which I'd like to use more, especially during Lent.
Say 'hello' to Miladdie if you are in touch with her. She also works with the Deaf in Kabankalan.
life under construction
Our lives are all undergoing into series of constructions. From womb to tomb, we have been subjected to experiences and realizations out of being pressed too hard by over sized hammers, being mixed with fine sands that could blind us or rocks that could make our way even harder. I believe that we can never call ourselves as 'finish products' or the last form that we can ever be. Everyday something is either added or deleted.We learn, unlearn and relearn.
Reading "ON JUDGING OTHERS" made me recall how did I come out with the reflection that I should not judge others based on the first impression I have on them.What if during that particular day, he was just faced with tough problems? It would be unfair to form a general conclusion about our fellows or even about events and things basing only on narrow points as the old saying goes,"We should not judge the book by its cover." Seeing what eyes could see is usual but seeing beyond what we can physically see is a result of acceptance, patience and deep concern and it is an act that not all could do because it involves believing in the good side present in others despite the fact that what's more obvious and observable are their negative side. In logic and science, judgment are done after verifying the facts and testing the hypothesis. Doing such would be enough to call the judgment as rational...But making judgments as Catholic Christians involves both the practical and moral side...
This world is full of stories about the effects of giving wrong judgments. It has distorted the justice system and has changed the histories, the present and the future of countless people... We should be careful in whatever judgment we make because most of the time it is on these judgments that we depend our decisions in life.
There's always goodness inside everyone of us.May we all learn to appreciate positive sides too before dwelling to much on the negative. May we become more open knowing that all of us are currently under construction.May we all ask God's guidance in everything that we do...
"For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and future."
-Jeremiah 29:11-
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