The One Who Judges Me is the Lord

The One Who Judges Me Is the Lord

September 7, 2012

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

Commit to the Lord your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. (Psalms 37:5-6)

(Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees:) “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.” (Luke 5:36)

Piety

Lord, I offer a heart full of thanks and awe for Your love and patience. You make the dawn sweeter, and the dark more bearable, for I know You are always at the end of the night.

Study

Do people sit in judgment of you? Of course they do. You don’t do the job as timely or as well as they did—or would. You’re not as pleasant—or as aggressive—as they are. You’re not the perfect parent or perfect spouse or perfect church lady. You’re not, well, you’re not them.

Fortunately, this is not the way God works. For if it were, all Christians would be practically suicidal, unable to meet God’s standard of perfection.

What does He ask? We got it in the Ten Commandments. In case that was too much to remember, Jesus boiled it down to the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

And day to day and in the end, that’s what He judges us upon. Not whether the dinner was perfectly cooked and served on time, but whether it was prepared and delivered with love. Not whether we got that promotion, but whether our workday was as productive and honest and ethical as we could make it. Not whether the kids got into Georgetown or George Mason, but whether we offered by our example relationships so warm and accepting that they in turn knew how to wisely discern their own choices, with God’s help.

Because with God, there’s judgment, all right. It’s not judgment of perfection or ticking off obligations from our Catholic to-do list. It’s about living a life in light… and love.

Action

Where is the dark spot in your life? Pray for God’s light to obliterate it.