"Do not judge others or you yourselves will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

“Do not judge others or you yourselves will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

 

The judge in a court passes judgement on the person who has been charged with guilt only after listening to the arguments put forth by the lawyers in favour of and against the person concerned.

But often we pass judgement on others basing it on the prejudice we have against them.

Our Lord says, “Do not judge others.”

We are not judges and hence we have no right to judge anybody.

God is the only judge for the whole human race.

He knows everything about us.

He knows even our innermost thoughts.

He knows our intention for our acts.

He knows the circumstances in which we do a particular act.

The graveness of one’s act depends upon one’s mental disposition, the circumstances which affect it, one’s degree of deliberation when the act is done and one’s intention of the act. We don’t take any of these conditions  into consideration when we judge one. Even if we know the conditions mentioned here there may be some ‘for-us-unknown-condition’ which God alone knows. Even if we know all the conditions, who are we to judge? God-appointed judges?

Once His Holiness Pope Francis was asked to give his opinion about someone. Holy Father merely said, “Who am I to judge?”

Once  a teacher was going to school by his bicycle. He had to be at school at 9.30 a.m, failing which he would have to sign in the late-comers register. 

On the way he saw an accident happening right before his eyes.

 Two bikes clashed with each other resulting in fall of their riders. 

One rider, somewhere around 25 by his look, was not so seriously wounded. He got up himself with a few scratches, with a few drops of blood peeping out here and there in his body. 

But the other, who might  be around 60, was a bit seriously wounded.

 The teacher forgot his school, got down from his bicycle, rushed towards the wounded man and inspected the damages the fallen driver had met with.

 He stopped the taxi  coming that way and took the wounded man to the nearby hospital, leaving the bike and bicycle behind to take care of themselves.

At school he was absent. The H.M did not know what to do with no leave or permission letter.

 He cannot mark C.L with no leave letter.

 If he marked ‘absent’ the teacher’s service might be affected.  

He left the to-be signed-space in the Masters’ blank and continued his other duties.

 At about 11.30 the Manager entered the Headmaster’s room. After inspecting the late comers’ register, he opened the Masters’. The blank space attracted his eyes.

“Why hasn’t Mr. X signed?”

“He has not come to school.”

“C.L?”

“He has not given C.L letter.”

The Manager was angry.

“He has broken the rules. He will have to give an explanation for his act. Tomorrow don’t allow him entry without my permissive letter.”

He left the room with an angry face.

 

Around 4 in the evening the Manager’s phone was ringing.

‘Any call from the absent teacher?’ he thought.

But it was from his dad.

“Hello dad!”

“Hi. Just now I am in the TP Hospital. Come at once.”

“Hospital? Anybody is ill?”

“Come first.   TP Hospital.”

He hurried to the hospital in his bike.

He phoned his dad enquiring where he was.

“Come to I. C.U.”

“I. C.U?  Who is there?”

Without waiting for a reply he went  to the room and slowly opened the door. 

He was shocked to see his father in bed with a few bandages. Tears peeped out from his eyes.

“What happened, dad?”

“A minor accident in the morning.”

“So many bandages for a minor accident? What happened?”

He explained what happened on the road.

“God be praised, a man took me here in a taxi, shared  his blood with me and helped me survive.

 The helmet could not save my leg from a fracture.”

“Fracture in the leg?”

“Yes; that caused some blood loss. But don’t worry, now I am alright.”

“Where is the man who helped you in time?”

“He has gone to the medical store.”

Before finishing his sentence the man entered the room.

The Manager was shocked at the sight of the man. 

The absent teacher!

“Sorry, sir. I had to take leave without your permission.”

“Sorry? Thank you very much. I can never forget your help.”

His remembered the words of Jesus,

 “Do not judge others.”

Lourdu Selvam.