The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
Ps 34,19-20
...But we know where he is from. Jn 7,27a
I once heard a quote, sometimes attributed to Plato that admonished the hearer to be gentle with those she meets because she does not know the battles they are fighting. Today's gospel reminded me of that. Judging someone entails assuming we know a lot more about him or her than we possibly can.
Those who judged Jesus to be an impostor, a blasphemer, assumed they knew where he came from, and in one way they did. They knew where he lived. They knew he was a carpenter from a backwater town. But that was all they knew, and it was not enough.
We all have people in our lives that are difficult to be with or understand. Some are members of our families, communities, and workplaces. Some we know only from hearsay or articles or news reports. Yet, despite the lack of information, the temptation to judge is strong.
I know that is true of me. Only with prayer and practice can we grow to look first for the face of Jesus, as Mother Theresa did. To listen first rather than speak. To temper the impulse to judge with willingness for compassion.
Who knows what personal crises the man we pass on the street is facing? What family trauma might be pulling a coworker into depression? Who of us knows what childhood abuse colors an adults behavior or what addictions have their talons sunk deep into their flesh?
Some close to us may share the "place where they are from," but many will not. For many people and in many situations, such confidences would be inappropriate.
Still, no matter the time or place, we do well to remind ourselves that we don't know where someone else has come from, and until we are invited to go with them to that place, we can offer kindness and the assumption that, like us, they are doing the best they can. We can remember that Jesus loves the brokenhearted, the just who have many troubles. Perhaps we can help extend his healing touch.
©2011 Mary van Balen