Namaste
AM Psalm 97, 99, [100] • PM Psalm 94, [95]
2 Chron. 29:1-3,30:1(2-9)10-27 • 1 Cor. 7:32-40 • Matt. 7:1-12
Today’s reading from Matthew is an excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount, the longest continuous discourse from Jesus in the New Testament. In this sermon, Jesus spoke about life in ways that challenged his listeners to do more than the status quo, the minimum of Jewish law: bury the dead and make modest donations for the poor.
First in our reading, Jesus decried the hypocrisy of judging others when our own actions are worse and merit all our attention.
Jesus also advised his listeners not to waste what is holy. A dog and pig are both God’s creation but a dog cannot know the value of something holy, just as a pig cannot discern the value of a pearl and will be upset when it realizes it is not food. In other words, don’t waste your spiritual energy—your pearls—by trying to impress or change people who aren’t ready to receive it. And if they’re not, don’t judge them as bad or stubborn; don’t judge them at all. Trust that God is working in them, too.
We hear the most fundamental lesson—to treat others as we would have them treat us and last, Jesus urges us to ask, search and knock:
For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
These four components of today’s reading sound so basic, yes? We’re not to judge others; don’t waste what is holy; treat others as we would like to be treated; and ask God for what we want. Simple.
Following Jesus’ teachings requires discernment. And discernment without judgment takes constant practice. It requires assessing, discriminating, distinguishing without an inherent sense of authority or superiority. When we wake every day and choose to practice discernment over judgment, we place a conscious, cognitive intent that can allow our minds and hearts to align. We can go through our day offering acknowledgment and acceptance, unprejudiced by perceptions of binary constructs—I’m good, you’re bad; I’m right, you’re wrong. Instead, we are, together.
I think that’s the goal anyway. We may fail a hundred times a day but if the intent is in our hearts and minds—if we strive to do these things generously, compassionately, humbly, with a hunger for justice, a pure heart and a desire for peace—then we will have risen far above the minimum of our humanity. My fullest and best self—the God in me—will honor the God in you, and the Holy Spirit in us all.
Written by Bernadette Reda
I am asking, searching, knocking on behalf of the people of Afghanistan, all the health care workers, those affected by hurricanes, and for an end to the pandemic.