Homily for Saturday of the 4th Week of Lent

For daily readings, see http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030808.shtml

Familiarity breeds contempt. How hard it is to accept the teachings of those that we know so well and have put in a box. How hard it is to continue to love and to see new things in those with whom we work and live. Although moral judgment is necessary if we are to do good and to avoid evil, we are usually more adept at judging people and labeling them as good or evil than we are at judging our own actions. During this Lenten season, we are to become better at one thing – examining our consciences – so that we can become worse at something else – judging others. Even if we must make some judgments about people so as to be sure to surround ourselves with good habits and to limit our exposure to those with bad habits, part of our seeking and saving what is lost in this world means making our judgment of sinners less certain. Just as we have been forgiven for our many sins, so we should look forward to sinners around us making real changes in our lives, buoyed by our help and our example and our forgiveness of them. We should not be putting people in harsh categories, locking the door on them and throwing away the key.

Nicodemus accuses the Pharisees of pre-judging Jesus before really questioning him and knowing him. He is from Bethlehem, and probably would have been willing to tell the Pharisees this, had the bothered to ask him. Instead they judge his being from Galilee as a sure indication that He is not the Messiah. Because they rushed to judgment, they lost their chance to recognize the Christ and to profess faith in Him. We should expect the same thing to happen to us, unless we allow his forgiveness to effect real changes in our lives, and unless we each forgive our brothers and sisters from the heart!

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