"As parents, we'd be pretty shoddy if we didn't point out our children's mistakes."
This is an excerpt from a comment on Mr Cristobal Almanza's post concerning "
judging" for the Austin Catholic New Media site. It is the most obvious example in which we are called to make a sort of judgment—and then to act upon that judgment. Here a distinction should be made—and Mr Almanza makes such a distinction:
|
Quote:
It is true that we are not called to judge others. We should never judge and personally condemn others to hell, no matter what the situation. That’s no one’s job but God’s, but there are other levels and forms of judgment. In fact, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is consel, also known as right judgement (Isaiah 11:1-2)....Judgements from and of Christians should not come out of giving ourselves an ego boost or tearing down another – there is no edification in that. It is out of love that prudent judgement can help guide people out of destructive behaviors or sin. It is because of love that we do not want to see others hurt or fall out of grace. It is also out of concern because we are all on body in Christ and our sins are never isolated.
|
We should not--ultimately, cannot--judge the soul of another person (see CCC 1861, CCC 1756) . We are not given to know all of the facts, nor is it generally helpful to speculate. The only major caveat is that the Church can judge as to whether a person is known to be in heaven--these are the canonized saints; there are no people held to be definitively condemned to Hell.
With that said, we are called to make moral judgments of the actions (and beliefs, for that matter) of others, be they family, friends, neighbors, or our culture at large. This is doubly true if we are placed in a position of authority over another, as a spiritual director, a priest, a parent, a religious superior, etc. These moral judgments can be done for our own good: after all, if we surround ourselves only with people who have turned away from Truth, have rejected God, have abandoned all morality and every virtue, we run the risk of slowly doing the same. That slow erosion due to peer pressure (let alone due to pressure from “corrupted” authority figures or role models) can be imperceptible, but it is inevitably there. This is perhaps why our Lord warns us to consider the actions of those who we surround ourselves with or look to for guidance: "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:16).
It is not only for our own good that we must make these “moral judgements,” these judgments of a person's “fruits.” Especially if we are in the position of some moral or spiritual authority, we must discern wisely. Consider, for example, this passage from the Old Testament:
|
Quote:
"You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself" (Ezekiel 33:7-9).
|
By our baptisms, we are made prophets, and so this duty of being a spiritual “watchman” given to Ezekiel is given to us, too. Note well, to, that the real duty of the act of “judging”--as with any form of “discernment--is not merely to judge (or discern). This is the mental and spiritual process, but it must be followed by a corporeal action, that is, we must bring the sin to the attention of the sinner (and do so as tactfully as we can). If the sin is a public one--and therefore may be cause for scandal--we must bring it also to the attention of the head of the community (priest, bishop, etc as appropriate), so that he can resolve the issue publicly if necessary. Of course, we should normally go to the individual privately first (see Matthew 18:15-17 for details).
It is therefore not an act of self-righteousness to
warn sinners against their sins, be it by
instructing or admonishing. Of course we are not called to judge souls, in the sense of condemning them . We are, however, called to warn a soul against damning himself, be he
Christian, pagan, atheist, or what have you. It is, after all, a spiritual
work of mercy to both admonish sinners and to instruct the ignorant. Charity demands nothing less of us.
-----
If you liked this post or found it helpful, you might also like
these other related posts:
"Judge Not" and Mercy (Thirty Minute Musings)
Being Tactful and Being "Nice" Tolerance, Charity, and Dignity (Nicene Guys) What Is the Purpose of Morality? Part 1: Right Living (Catholic America Today) _____
Originally posted on my
Equus Nom Veritas blog.
Tags: Philosophy Theology Acts-of-Mercy Catechesis
