The Prayer Book lessons for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity are especially strong and rich passages. In the Epistle from Romans 8:18-23, the Apostle Paul contrasts the sufferings of this present world with the glory that will be made manifest. He encourages believers to continue in hope as they look toward final redemption. Christians always need to hear this message, especially during difficult times.
In the Gospel from Luke 6:36-42, we have a portion of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain which is similar to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The basic theme in this selection is being merciful toward others as we hope for God to be merciful toward us. In this context, our Lord tells us not to judge others. This command does not mean that we cannot evaluate people and events in practical ways. Practical judgments are necessary for physical and spiritual survival and growth. However, we must beware of the limits of our practical human judgments and evaluations. We are not God. We do not know all the factors in other people's lives, and even when we have good information, we have our own biases and prejudices. So we must remain humble and seek divine mercy for ourselves and others. We must never assume that our practical human opinions about other people are valid reflections of their standing before God!
No comments:
Post a Comment