Crafting the measuring stick of judgment

I don’t consider myself to be a very judgmental person. Except for those constant “evaluations” I make in my head about just about everything and everyone, because “I need to know what I’m dealing with here,” or, as a friend of mine says: “Lord, You gave me eyes to see.” 

In the classic movie, “Witness,” about a crime in an Amish community that brings law enforcement calling, an Amish elder asks a little Amish boy if he thinks he can judge others accurately. The little boy says: “I see what the bad men do.” 

Of course, we can know which actions are objectively good or bad, because God has taught us through His Word, His Church, natural law and conscience. But we simply do not know the degree of culpability that anyone bears. We don’t have access to their inner life or a God’s eye view. Does that mean we shouldn’t have earthly laws, courts and consequences? Absolutely not. The Bible is clear about that, as well. We must do our best to structure society according to God’s law, and curb harms to individuals and society as a whole. In the end, God will be the final Judge.

Advertisement

If Jesus said: “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” does that mean that if we don’t judge anyone, we won’t face either our particular judgment when we die, or the general judgment at the end of the world? No. Our Catholic Faith tells us that everyone is subject to both. Jesus explains further that whichever measurement we use to judge others will be used to judge us. We craft our own measuring stick. We will be judged in the same manner we thought we were justified in judging others. Lately, in the daily readings, I feel like I’ve been hearing the Gospel for the first time, and the Gospel can be harsh. Harsh, that is, if I’m arrogant and resistant to God’s grace.  

Two priests have ministered to me recently, whom I previously might have almost unconsciously passed some kind of judgment on in my mind: “I don’t care for their ‘style,’ their homilies, the way they say Mass.” And yet, God opened my eyes to the unique goodness and holiness of each of these priests, and He used them in a very particular way to communicate grace to me through the sacraments, and by simply coming in contact with these “other Christs.” 

Advertisement

One of these men of God prays the Mass with, shall we say, alacrity. And yet, for those who have to get to work, it is very much appreciated. Some might think it irreverent, but Father is actually quite fervent. The name of Jesus is spoken more than any other word in his homilies, homilies filled with uproariously funny escapades of his own life and self-deprecating humour. Irish storytelling has something in common with Jesus’ preaching: parables. 

This cleric also holds up saintly people he has known as examples of living the Good News. His own kindness to each person in the pews is remarkable: the woman with Tourette’s, teens, children, the poor, the troubled, the sick, visitors. No one goes unnoticed or forgotten. After Mass, he makes himself available for whatever anyone is requesting of him. The priesthood and the Mass are not about a cult of personality, but neither can we squelch the personal gifts God has given us “for building up the body of Christ.”

Is Jesus being lax, namby-pamby or lawless when He tells us not to judge? Is He the “anything goes” Jesus that is so popular today when the meaning of love is twisted into license? Is Jesus the God of false compassion who does not will the true good and salvation of souls, but leaves them to their own mistaken or sinful perceptions and desires? No. 

Advertisement

In fact, in a recent Gospel reading, the Lord Jesus commends the Pharisees for being scrupulous about paying tithes on various herbs, but He faults them thus: “These you should have done without neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness.” We are to observe the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Observing just laws and the law of love is a both/and proposition. 

When we withhold judgment of others, it’s not about compromising the Gospel, ignoring right and wrong, turning a blind eye, or lowering standards. It’s about actually seeing and caring for the beloved person in front of us--like Jesus did.  

(Sr. Helena Raphael Burns, FSP, is a Daughter of St. Paul. She holds a Masters in Media Literacy Education and studied screenwriting at UCLA. HellBurns.com Twitter: @srhelenaburns #medianuns)

A version of this article appeared in the September 20, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Crafting the measuring stick of judgment"