A Story about Judging Others
Elder Panaretos Filotheitis The late Papa-Nikodimos, a spiritual father from the Skete of Kavsokalyvia told me the following story, which is recorded in Athonite Patristic manuscripts. There was a devout Christian who went to his confessor for fifteen years and told him his human weaknesses. One day he went...
On Not Judging Our Neighbour
Abba Dorotheos If, brethren, we remembered the words of the holy Elders, if we studied them, it would be difficult for us to sin, difficult to neglect ourselves. Because, precisely as they’ve advised us, if we refuse to ignore the little things and what appear to be insignificant, then...
The Mote and the Beam – 2
James W. Lillie This is why I’m telling you, don’t be quick to condemn, and to examine the actions of others. We’ve all seen people who’ve fallen into fornication, but we haven’t seen their repentance. Or we’ve seen someone who’s stolen something, but we don’t know what sighs and...
The Mote and the Beam – 1
James W. Lillie At Matthew 7, 1-3, the Lord warns us about the danger of judging other people. “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why...
Conversations with Abba Isaac: A Culture of Condemnation
We live in a culture of condemnation. We make ourselves champions of moral, political, and religious issues. We divide ourselves along political lines, and we jump upon every chance to point our finger at those who do not agree with our views. This has become all the more endemic with...
The Implications of Christians Forcing Christianity on Others
On the surface of the recent decision by the Supreme Court, it may seem SCOTUS has decided that when it comes to birth control, this is something that you need to buy on your own and it is not the responsibility of the employer to provide this through a federally...
To Judge or Not to Judge, That’s the Question
I pass judgment on my friends, my clients and utter strangers all the time. I offer opinions about their clothes, their taste in movies, their writing, their charity or lack of charity and what they do. But I keep telling myself I shouldn’t do that. It’s wrong to judge. “Judge...
The Gospel of Matthew, Part 15
The Gospel of Matthew Matt 7:1-12: On Judging; God’s Answering of Prayer Opening thoughts and basis for discussion How easy is it for us to judge? Much easier when we are biased towards one party vs. the other. Are we ourselves the Holy People of God? Do we strive to...
Ethics and the Other
When I was first in seminary, I had to take an ethics class. The professor of that class seemed to positively enjoy giving us difficult ethics problems to solve. He had been a young man during World War II, and he seemed to take a particular joy in giving us...
