Day 35

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.”

Matthew 7:1

We have the tendency to constantly judge others. Too often we judge people for faults that we struggle with ourselves. Rather than face these things in our own lives, we see them in those

around us.

Jesus addresses our judgmental habits head-on in Matthew’s Gospel by saying, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (7:3). Jesus

explains that we must first take the log out of our own eye, and then we will be able to see the speck in the other person’s eye more clearly.

Lent can be a time to confront the logs in our own eyes, to name them, and to call on the Lord for help removing them.

Something beautiful happens when we do this: We become less judgmental, more gentle, and more understanding of the struggle that others face. In a word, we become compassionate.

Daily Practice

Write down the name of a log in your eye that you often judge in the lives of those around you. Be as honest as you can. Ask God for the grace and mercy to remove this plank and to deepen your

compassion for others who wrestle with it as well.