Professor Wolhover the Merciful.

Steve remembers meeting with Prof. Wolhover near the end of the semester because his final computer science project was not coming together, and Prof. Wolhover was concerned.  What the good professor didn’t know was that Steve was juggling a bunch of things, especially the looming calling off of his engagement – not an easy thing for a young man to navigate (but it worked out well, otherwise he wouldn’t have eventually married Karen!).    

Prof. Wolhover was uncharacteristically easy-going.  Maybe he sensed that Steve wasn’t intentionally neglecting the project; that something else was going on.  For whatever reason, Prof. Wolhover judged that he should show some mercy – the project still had to be completed properly, but there was some leniency granted. 

In the moment Steve probably wasn’t as appreciative of Prof. Wolhover’s good judgment.  But later, in hindsight, it stayed with him as a lesson to err toward the “benefit of the doubt” when judging someone.

In this week’s Pearls of the Interior Life, we’ve looking at how Sunday’s gospel reminds us of the need to be always judging.  Because, Jesus warns us, good and evil grow up together, all around us, and it can be very difficult to tell the difference. 

Judging, as it turns out, comes pretty easily for most of us.  Like the old saying, “opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one.”  Same with judgements. 

The problem, as always, is when we start judging people’s souls, and intentions.  We can judge all too easily and all too quickly, without spending much time looking in the mirror.  Jesus had another parable about that – something to do with the the spec in our brother’s eye compared with the plank in our own.  Dr. Mike Scherchlicht refers to that as “plank eye.”  Ha ha.

So, we must be careful with our judging.  Author Nicholas Sparks offers a pithy quote about judging -  

“You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by.  It’s actions, not words, that matter.”

That’s a good starting point.   As Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

Actions matter.

But there’s something that matters even more.  St. Augustine points it out, “Believe that others are better than you in the depths of their soul, although outwardly you may appear better than they.”

In other words, actions (our “outward appearance”) matter, but they’re not the main thing.  The main thing is the “depths of our soul.”   Our pastor, Fr. Ed Meeks, once reminded us that we never know what demons the other person is battling.  Does someone seem angry?  Maybe they’ve suffered a long history of abuse.  Did someone not follow through on something?  Maybe they’re juggling many, many things we don’t know about.    

That other person might be battling heroically in the depths of their soul.

In fact, doesn’t that describe all of us, at one point or another?  Don’t we all sometimes think “if you only knew what I’m dealing with?!”  In fact, Jesus does know that.  That’s where He desires most to help us.  That’s why He died for us, rather than judge us.   

Obviously, none of this is an endorsement of the current postmodern ethos that says there is no objective right and wrong, no personal responsibility, and no consequences for our actions.

What it is, is a reminder that God gives us the capacity and the responsibility to judge much of what’s going on around us.  But wrapped in each invitation to exercise judgement, is an even greater invitation to practice mercy.

Blessings on your journey with Christ –

Steve and Karen Smith

Interior Life

Postscript:  Mt 13:24-30,36-43

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.  When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.  The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'  His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them.  Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.  His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."  He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.  The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.  Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.  They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Whoever has ears ought to hear."