Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2

Being judgmental can be a difficult thing to shake.  Once someone falls into the habit of regularly thinking and speaking in a harsh and critical way, it’s very difficult for them to change.  In fact, once someone starts down the road of being critical and judgmental, chances are that they will continue down that road becoming more critical and more judgmental.

This is one of the reasons Jesus addresses this tendency in such a strong way.  After the passage above Jesus states, “You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first…”  These words and Jesus’ strong condemnation of being judgmental is not so much because Jesus is angry or harsh toward the judgmental person.  Rather, He wants to redirect them from the road they are heading down and help to free them of this heavy burden.  So an important question to ponder is this: “Is Jesus talking to me?  Do I struggle with being judgmental?”

If the answer is “Yes,” fear not and do not get discouraged.  Seeing this tendency and admitting it is very important and is the first step toward the virtue which is opposite of being judgmental.  The virtue is mercy.  And mercy is one of the most important virtues we can have today.

It seems that the times we live in demand mercy more than ever.  Perhaps one of the reasons for that is the extreme tendency, as a world culture, to be harsh and critical of others.  All you need to do is read a newspaper, browse social media, or watch the nightly news programs to see that our world culture is one that is continually growing in the tendency to analyze and criticize.  This is a real problem.

The good thing about mercy is that God uses either our judgmentalness or our mercy (depending upon which is more manifest) as the measuring rod of how He treats us.  He will act with great mercy and forgiveness toward us when we show that virtue.  But He will also show His justice and judgment when this is the path we take with others.  It’s up to us!

Reflect, today, on mercy and judgmentalness in your life.  Which one is greater?  What is your primary tendency?  Remind yourself that mercy is always far more rewarding and satisfying than being judgmental.  It produces joy, peace and freedom.  Put mercy in your mind and commit yourself to seeing the blessed rewards of this precious gift.

Lord, please do fill my heart with mercy.  Help me to set aside all critical thinking and harsh words and replace them with Your love.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. Matthew 11:29 (Year A Gospel)

Happy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!

To some, this can seem like an old and outdated celebration in the Church. It can be seen as one of those ancient feasts that have little meaning in our lives today. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is exactly what we need to know, experience and receive in our lives today. His heart, that heart which was pierced by the lance and from which flowed blood and water, is the sign, symbol and source of the burning love of His very soul. The blood is an image of the Most Holy Eucharist and the water is an image of the cleansing waters of Baptism.

This celebration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a celebration of Jesus pouring out on us His whole life and all of His love. He held nothing back which is symbolized by the pouring forth of the last drop of this blood and water from His Heart as He lay there dead on the Cross. Though it’s a very graphic image, it’s graphic to make a point. The point, again, is that He held nothing back. We need to realize that Jesus continues to give us everything if we are willing to receive it.

If you are finding that you need to know His love more deeply in your life this day, try spending time reflecting on this Scripture: “…but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out” (John 19:33-34). Spend time reflecting upon that last self gift, the gift of that water and blood flowing from His wounded Heart. It is a sign of His infinite love for you. Reflect upon it being poured out especially for you. See it, be immersed in it, and be open to it. Let His love transform and fill you.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. I thank You, dear Lord, for giving all to me. You held nothing back from me and You continue to pour out Your life for my good and for the good of the whole world. May I receive all You give to me and hold nothing back from You. Jesus, I trust in You.

“This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven…”  Matthew 6:9

The following is an excerpt from the My Catholic Worship! book, Chapter Eleven, on the Lord’s Prayer:

The Lord’s Prayer is indeed a summary of the entire Gospel.  It is called “The Lord’s Prayer” in that Jesus Himself gave it to us as a way of teaching us to pray.  In this prayer, we find seven petitions to God.  Within those seven petitions we will find every human longing and every expression of faith found within the Scriptures.  Everything we need to know about life and prayer is contained in the wonderful prayer.

Jesus Himself gave us this prayer as the model of all prayer.  It is good that we repeat the words of the Lord’s Prayer regularly in vocal prayer.  This is also done in the various sacraments and liturgical worship.  However, saying this prayer is not enough.  The goal is to internalize each and every aspect of this prayer so that it becomes a model of our personal petition to God and an entrustment of our entire life to Him.

The Foundation of Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer begins not with a petition; rather, it begins with us acknowledging our identity as children of the Father.  This is a key foundation for the Lord’s Prayer to be prayed properly.  It also reveals the foundational approach we must take in all prayer and in the entire Christian life.  The opening statement preceding the seven petitions is as follows: “Our Father who art in Heaven.”  Let’s take a look at what is contained in this opening statement of the Lord’s Prayer.

Filial Boldness: At Mass, the priest invites the people to pray the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching we dare to say…”  This “daring” on our part comes from the foundational understanding that God is our Father.  Each Christian is to see the Father as my Father.  We must see ourselves as God’s children and approach Him with the confidence of a child.  A child with a loving parent is not afraid of that parent.  Rather, children have the greatest trust that their parents love them no matter what.  Even when they sin, children know they are still loved.  This must be our fundamental starting point for all prayer.  We must start with an understanding that God loves us no matter what.  With this understanding of God we will have all the confidence we need to call on Him.

Abba: Calling God “Father” or, more specifically, “Abba” means we cry out to God in the most personal and intimate of ways.  “Abba” is a term of endearment for the Father.  This shows that God is not just the Almighty or the All-Powerful.  God is so much more.  God is my loving Father and I am the Father’s beloved son or daughter.

“Our” Father: To call God “our” Father expresses an entirely new relationship as a result of the New Covenant that was established in the blood of Christ Jesus.  This new relationship is one in which we are now God’s people and He is our God.  It’s an exchange of persons and, therefore, deeply personal.  This new relationship is nothing other than a gift from God to which we have no right.  We have no right to be able to call God our Father.  It’s a grace and a gift.

This grace also reveals our profound unity to Jesus as the Son of God.  We can only call God “Father” in so far as we are one with Jesus.  His humanity unites us to Him and we now share in a deep bond with Him.

Calling God “our” Father also reveals the union we share with one another.  All who call God their Father in this intimate way are brothers and sisters in Christ.  We, therefore, are not only deeply connected together; we also are enabled to worship God together.  In this case, individualism is left behind in exchange for fraternal unity.  We are members of this one divine family as a glorious gift of God.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” Matthew 6:1

Very often when we do something good, we want others to see. We want them to be aware of how good we are. Why? Because it feels good to be recognized and honored by others. But Jesus tells us to do the complete opposite.

Jesus tells us that when we do a work of charity, fast or pray we should do it in a hidden way. In other words, we should not do it so as to be noticed and praised by others. It’s not that there is anything wrong with others seeing our goodness. Rather, Jesus’ teaching goes to the heart of our motivations for our good actions. He’s trying to tell us that we should act in a holy way because we want to grow close to God and serve His will, not so that we can be recognized and praised by others.

This offers us a great opportunity to look deeply and honestly at our motivations. Why do you do what you do? Think about the good things you try to do. Then think about your motivation in doing those things. Hopefully you are motivated to do holy things simply because you want to be holy and want to serve the will of God. Are you content with God and God alone seeing your good actions? Are you OK with no one else recognizing your selflessness and acts of love? Hopefully the answer is “Yes.”

Holiness is especially found in your hidden life. There, where you are seen only by God, you must act in a way that pleases God. You must live a life of virtue, prayer, sacrifice and self-giving when only God sees. If you can live this way in your hidden life, you can also be certain that your hidden life of grace will affect others in a way that only God can orchestrate. When you strive for holiness in a hidden way, God sees that and uses it for good. This hidden life of grace becomes the foundation for who you are and how you interact with others. They may not see all you do, but they will be affected by the goodness within your soul.

Lord, help me to live a hidden life of grace. Help me to serve You even when no one sees. From the solitude of those moments, bring forth Your grace and mercy for the world. Jesus, I trust in You.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:44-45a

This is not an easy command from our Lord. But it is a command of love.

First, He calls us to love our enemies. Who are our enemies? Hopefully we do not have “enemies” in the sense of those who we have willfully chosen to hate. But we may have people in our lives who we are tempted to have anger toward and who we have a difficult time loving. Perhaps we can consider anyone we struggle with as our enemies.

To love them does not necessarily mean we must become best friends with them, but it does mean we must work toward having a true affection of care, concern, understanding and forgiveness toward them. This can be hard to have toward everyone but it must be our goal.

The second part of this command will help. Praying for those who persecute us will help us grow in the proper love and affection we need to foster. This aspect of love is quite straightforward even though it is also quite difficult.

Think about those whom you have a very difficult time loving. Those toward whom you have anger. It could be a family member, someone at work, a neighbor or someone from your past with whom you have never reconciled. It is in keeping with this Gospel passage to honestly admit that there is at least someone, or perhaps more than one person, with whom you struggle, either externally or internally. Admitting this is simply an act of honesty.

Once you identify this person or persons, think about whether you pray for them. Do you spend time regularly offering them to God in prayer? Do you pray that God pours forth His grace and mercy upon them? This may be hard to do but it is one of the healthiest acts you can do. It may be difficult to show love and affection toward them, but it is not hard to consciously choose to pray for them.

Praying for those with whom we have a hard time is key to letting God foster a true love and concern in our hearts toward them. It’s a way of letting God reform our emotions and feelings so that we will no longer have to hold on to feelings of anger or even hate.

Commit yourself this day to prayer for the person you struggle with the most. This prayer will most likely not change your love for them over night, but if you commit to this form of prayer every day, over time God will slowly change your heart and free you of the burden of anger and hurt that may keep you from the love He wants you to have toward all people.

Lord, I pray for the person for whom You want me to pray. Help me to love all people and help me to especially love those who are hard to love. Reorder my feelings toward them and help me to be free of any anger. Jesus, I trust in You.

“But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”  Matthew 5:39

Ouch!  This is a hard teaching to embrace.

Did Jesus really mean this?  Often, when put in the situation where someone wrongs us or hurts us we can tend to immediately rationalize away this Gospel passage and presume it doesn’t apply to us.  Yes, it’s a hard teaching to believe and an even harder one to live.

What does it mean to “turn the other cheek?”  First, we should look at this on a literal level.  Jesus did mean what He said.  He is the perfect example of this.  Not only was He slapped on the cheek, He was also brutally beaten and hung on a cross.  And His response was, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  Therefore, Jesus does not call us to do anything that He Himself was not willing to do.

Turning the other cheek does not mean that we need to cover up another’s abusive actions or words.  We ought not pretend that they have done nothing wrong.  Jesus Himself, in forgiving and in asking the Father to forgive, acknowledged the grave injustice He received at the hands of sinners.  But the key is that He did not allow Himself to be drawn into their malice.

Often times, when we feel like another flings mud at us, so to speak, we are tempted to fling it right back.  We are tempted to fight and push the bully back.  But the key to overcoming the malice and cruelty of another is to refuse to be drawn down into the mud.  Turning the other cheek is a way of saying that we refuse to degrade ourselves to foolish bickering or arguing.  We refuse to engage irrationality when we encounter it.  Instead, we choose to allow another to reveal their malice to themselves and to others by peacefully accepting it and forgiving.

This is not to say that Jesus wants us to perpetually live in abusive relationships that are more than we can handle.  But it does mean that we will all encounter injustice from time to time and we need to handle it with mercy and immediate forgiveness, and not become drawn into returning malice for malice.

Reflect, today, on any relationships that are difficult for you.  Especially reflect upon how ready you are to forgive and to turn the other cheek.  Doing this may just bring you the peace and freedom you seek in that relationship.

Lord, help me to imitate Your great mercy and forgiveness. 

Help me to forgive those who have hurt me and help me to rise above any injustice I encounter. 

Jesus, I trust in You.