Judgment

 

He who seeks the law will be filled with it,

but the hypocrite will stumble at it.

 Those who fear the Lord will form true judgments,

and like a light they will kindle righteous deeds.

 A sinful man will shun reproof,

and will find a decision according to his liking.

Sirach 32:15-17

Judgment.  The "J" word.  The Scarlett Letter of modern Catholicism.  In the words of Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word.  I don't think it means what you think it means."

"Who am I to judge?"  Well according to the Wisdom of Sirach -- the inspired Word of God -- those who "fear the Lord".   

Who "fears the Lord"?  The one who is wise:

 To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

she is created with the faithful in the womb. 

 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,

making peace and perfect health to flourish.

Sirach 1:12,16

Better yet, who is wise, but the one who fears the Lord?  

But why should anyone "fear" the Lord?  We are conditioned to believe that this idea of "fearing the Lord" is the nefarious, semantic device of organized religion which subdues the little ones and confirms the patriarchal abuse of a powerful hierarchy throughout history.  The generation which questioned all authority has transmitted this "hermeneutic of suspicion" to succeeding generations, up to and including Generation X and Generation Y (Millenials).  "Nones", or, those who claim no religious affiliation, are exploding in population, and claim vast numbers of baptized Catholics among their numbers.  

The great Doctor of the Church, Saint Hilary of Poitiers, wrote about this "fear" and its misconception:

We must begin by crying out for wisdom.  We must hand over to our intellect the duty of making every decision.  We must look for wisdom and search for it.  Then we must understand the fear of the Lord.

"Fear" is not to be taken in the sense the common usage gives it ... It does not lie in terror, but in something that can be taught.

For us, the fear of God consists wholly in love, and our perfect love of God brings our fear of Him to perfection: to observe His counsels, to obey His laws, to trust His promises.

Nevertheless, we are confused.  The words echo like the constant chime of a clock, every hour on the hour, "Judge not."  The Lord tells us explicitly: 

"Judge not, that you be not judged. 

    For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get."

Matthew 7:1-2

If we juxtapose this with the words of Sirach, we may find contradiction.  Jesus says, "don't judge".  Sirach says, "judge with wisdom."  But the facile way in which Jesus' words are used to eliminate judgment of any kind, betrays the lack of understanding of those who wield it.  

Let's examine Our Lord's words, and what follows: 

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 

Matthew 7:4

Now it becomes clear(er).  Jesus addresses the "hypocrites".  Sirach addresses the wise.  Since the Holy Spirit cannot contradict His own words, it becomes apparent that Jesus associates hypocrisy with a fatal lack of wisdom.  And by extension, the hypocrite is one who does not fear the Lord.  Thus, they are highly un-wise to pass judgment upon anyone.  And Jesus makes clear that their own judgment will be rendered not with wisdom but with the injustice of those with whom they consort.  And who is the Prince of Injustice, but Satan, the one who will stand as accuser at our Judgment?  

Hypocrisy is a feature in all we who are fallen to concupiscence (the inclination to sin), but the words of Christ need to be viewed in context of the whole of Scripture.   Certainly none are wholly wise, and none are wholly hypocritical. But the degree to which one is in possession of each, informs the right to judge, or the folly of judging rashly.  

"Who am I to judge?"  The question demands an answer.  Are you wise?  Do you fear the Lord?  Are you a manifest heretic?  An unrepentant hypocrite?  Or like most of us, somewhere in between those two poles?  Let us remember that we are indeed called to judge with wisdom,  and by doing so, are ensured we will in return be judged with wisdom.  Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and it must be allowed to operate in our daily lives, which includes the duty to judge right from wrong, the duty to judge good from evil, the duty to judge words and images and actions, the duty to judge the beauty of holiness or the ugliness of sin in our midst.  

Who am I to judge the one who wisely seeks God?  A hypocrite.  Who am I to judge the one who unwisely attacks the Body of Christ?  One who fears the Lord.  The tension reveals Saint Paul's admonition to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Ph 2:12)  We cannot dispense with the duty to judge sin. But we must absolutely rely on grace to avoid judging as a hypocrite.  We must always respect our ability to fall, and fall with great ignominy.  We must be aware that Hypocrisy is "crouching at the door; it's desire is for you" (Gn 4:7)