Salve, Regina, Mater Misericordiae.
Praise be Jesus Christ.
If you remember that part in the Gospel,
when the devil tempts our Lord in the desert,
that he cites sacred scripture,
misusing the word of God
in order to try and deceive the Son of God.
The devil today is still capable of using this same technique.
He cites the word of God in order to deceive the sons of God.
It seems that the favorite scripture passage
that the devil uses today
is from St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 7, verse 1.
Do not judge, that you may not be judged.
How often do we hear that cited today?
Do not judge, lest thou be judged.
And it goes right along with this,
that the devil's favorite virtue today
is non-judgmentalism,
an imprudent tolerance,
and believe me,
many Christians have been fooled by this.
They'll have all sorts of qualms of conscience
about being judgmental,
but they won't have any problem
with missing Mass on Sunday.
So what is the proper understanding
of our Lord's words,
do not judge, that you may not be judged?
Our Lord here is referring to
rash judgments,
to come to negative conclusions about someone
with no reasonable foundation.
He's talking about making judgments
that are motivated by envy or detraction,
or to judge a person's intentions
with no clear evidence,
or to judge the subjective state of someone's soul,
which,
of course,
is hidden to us.
We can't see that.
Our Lord is not talking about
making judgments regarding things
that are evident to us.
For example,
someone openly dissents from the Church's teaching
on contraception.
Well, that is heresy.
That is clear.
That is evident to us.
And we should point it out.
We can and we must
make these kinds of judgments.
Although we should always try to interpret
our neighbor's actions
in the most favorable light,
at the same time,
we need to remember that
saintliness is not silliness.
St. Jerome says,
in regard to this Scripture passage,
Christ does not altogether
forbid judgment,
but directs us
how to judge.
The thing that does not regard us,
we should not undertake to judge.
That is,
some things just aren't any of our business.
But he says,
barefaced vice
and notorious sinners
should be condemned
and reprobated by all.
Another popular saying
that we hear today,
though it's not from Scripture,
is also very much used
by the devil
in order to promote
his false virtue of tolerance,
and that is,
love the sinner
but hate the sin.
K.
While there is
a certain truth to this,
we must, at the same time,
recognize the limits
of this saying.
We cannot go so far
as to remove from this scripture.
to remove personal responsibility from the sinner for his sin.
After all, crimes are not sent to jail, but criminals are.
God does not condemn sin to hell, but he does condemn sinners.
In a very real way, sins are not entirely distinct from the one who commits them.
Personal sins have a real effect on our person.
A man who regularly steals renders himself a thief.
A woman who is in an adulterous relationship
makes herself an adulteress.
You see how what we choose, the misuse of our free will,
has a real effect on our being.
St. Augustine happens to mention both of these things,
making judgments and also hating the sin but loving the sinner.
He mentions both of these things in one single quote.
And so we finish with his words.
He says,
Concerning those things, then, which are known to God, unknown to us,
we judge our neighbors at our peril.
Of this the Lord hath said, Judge not.
But concerning things which are open and public evils,
we may and ought to judge and rebuke, but still with charity and love,
hating not.
Not the man, but the sin.
Detesting not the sick man, but the disease.
For unless the open adulterer, thief, habitual drunkard, traitor,
were judged and punished,
excuse me, were not judged and punished,
or for unless they were judged and punished, that is, they should be,
that would be fulfilled.
Fulfilled which the blessed martyr Cyprian hath said.
He who soothes a sinner with flattering words
administers fuel to his sin.
In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.