JUDGE NOT
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Many of us notice the defects and failures of others but are blind to our own faults. The one we follow, Jesus, was very different! He came to save people from their sins, yet he did not judge and condemn them; he saw the good in them and gave them new chances in life.
We pray that we may imitate Jesus in his love and mercy towards people.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have been judgmental, we ask the Lord to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you came not to condemn but to save the lost:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you reached out to the sinner and the outcast:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you did not judge and saw the good in people:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: O God, our teacher and judge,
enrich our hearts with the goodness of your wisdom
and renew us from within,
that all our actions, all our words,
may bear the fruit of your grace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Sirach 27:4-7
Psalm Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
Response Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world:
as you hold on to the word of life.
Gospel Luke 6:39-45
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear Jesus exhort them to remove the wooden beam from their eye before attempting to remove the splinter from another’s eye?
Sunday Snippets
A friar in a monastery committed a fault. The superior called the council to decide his punishment. The council assembled, but Friar Joseph, a senior monk, was not present. The superior sent someone to call him. When Friar Joseph came, he was carrying a leaking jug! When the others saw this, they asked him what it meant. The wise friar said: “My sins run out behind me, but I do not see them. And today I am coming to judge the error of another?”
This anecdote sums up the thrust of today’s liturgy: JUDGE NOT.
The gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Plain and Jesus’ injunction to not judge. What Jesus forbids is not judgment per se, but negative/destructive judgment. Our judgments should be like those of Jesus: judging to save and help, not to knock down and destroy.
We must not pass judgment without understanding the person and his/her situation, and without an awareness of our faults. Much of our criticism is, perhaps, a form of self-defence or a pre-emptive strike! To offset our feeling of insecurity, we pull others down.
“Judge not” is not a cover for immoral behaviour; not a prohibition on admonishing others; not an endorsement of moral relativism.
“Judge not” is an elaboration of the Golden Rule—we should treat others the way that we want to be treated. Given that God will judge us, what kind of judgment do we want? We want a judgment done with mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. That’s the way we ought to treat others: with mercy and compassion.
Do I see the worst or the best about others? When I judge others, am I aware of my faults and shortcomings? Am I merciful and compassionate?
After a pastor preached on spiritual gifts, a lady told him: “Pastor, I believe I have the talent of criticism.” He asked her: “Remember the person in Jesus’ parable who had the one talent? Do you recall what he did with it?” She replied: “Yes, he went out and buried it.” With a smile, the pastor suggested: “Go thou, and do likewise!”
May we bury our negative and destructive criticism and use our gifts of love and compassion.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Just as a tree is known by its fruits, Sirach says, so people are known by their conduct. What is my opinion: are people known by what they say or what they do or both?
Reading 2: “Be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.” What sustains me in moments of difficulty and distress, and when it seems my work is in vain?
Gospel: What beam do I need to remove from my eye? How can I learn to see my brothers and sisters with the eyes of faith?
What spiritual fruits do I wish to cultivate in my life?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Jesus taught us the forgiving mercy of God, which seeks to save, not to condemn. To this compassionate and merciful God, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that God’s grace may guide us to love him more fully and to love our neighbours as we do ourselves so that we may live forever Christ’s new resurrected life, we pray…
R: For Pope Francis: that he may experience the Lord’s comforting presence and healing in these moments of critical illness, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: that God may guide them to diffuse international tensions and help them to work together to end famine, disease, and lack of educational opportunities, we pray…
R: For victims of racism and discrimination: that God may heal them and open new opportunities for them to share their gifts and enrich society, we pray…
R: For those who are ill: that the Spirit may bring healing to all burdened with illness, restore them to their activities and responsibilities, and help them to be strengthened through the care and companionship of family and friends, we pray…
R: For greater stewardship of the earth: that we may wisely use natural resources and work to share them with all of creation, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that God may cleanse us of hypocrisy, heal our narrowness of mind and blindness to the truth proclaimed in the Gospel, and help us to live fully what we profess, we pray…
L: Merciful Father, open our eyes to your forgiving love and to your goodness present in people. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Jesus,
I watch as you
eat and drink with sinners.
I see you talk with a Samaritan woman,
dialogue with Nicodemus,
dine with Zacchaeus,
and let a woman anoint your feet.
You were never judgemental with any of them.
Lord,
take my heart of flesh,
and teach me to love.
Even when I need to judge,
may I be aware of the other person’s situation
and of my own faults;
may I never be judgemental and destructively critical.
Make my heart large
to see as you saw,
to hear as you heard,
to love as you loved.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord, loving Father,
you have given us no blind guide to lead us
but your Son, Jesus Christ.
He came not to condemn us
but to forgive and save.
Give us clear eyes
to look into our hearts and consciences,
and loving hearts
to reach out to those in need.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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