27 Oct 2017
When Jesus came and
lived among people, it was like he was putting a mirror in front of them. When we look at him, we should see
ourselves. Jesus is our standard. Often times, though, when we look in the
mirror we see a person who falls short of that standard. And that’s what St Paul saw.
When he looked at
himself, he saw his own goodness, but he could also see his sins and
weakness. But his response wasn’t to get
down on himself. Instead, he says,
“Thanks be to God.” Thanks be to God we
have our conscience. Thanks be to God
for the gifts of humility and self honesty.
Thanks be to God that he is merciful and loving; in spite of our sins
and failings, he still adores his children.
And that’s different
from how other people can sometimes treat us.
How often have we made a mistake, only to have it used against us? Hence, Jesus’ warning in the gospel today
about who we let be our judges. Others
may use our sins against us; God never does.
St Paul was a sinner,
and he knew it. But he also knew he was
loved by God. God judged him—and he
judges us—worthy of his divine affection.
We look at ourselves and we see our own goodness. We also see our sins, but we don’t dwell on
them. Instead, we dwell on that other
image in the mirror, the image of Jesus.
And, like St Paul, we thank God that “while we are yet sinners, he loves
us.”
“Nothing can separate
us from the love of God in Christ.”
Thanks be to God, our loving and merciful judge.
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