Daily Gospel Reflection for January 13, 2018

Today's Gospel: Mark 2:13-17 We human beings are often quick to judge others through what we hear or observe. But what we cannot hear or observe is a person’s heart. Only God can do that. We do not know all the whys and wherefores of a person who sins. We cannot know everything about a person—what he or she has been through-because one’s soul is seen only by our Lord. So should we judge others at all? Yes. Each of us is created by God with free will. We can choose, and do choose to sin. So, there are times when we must judge another’s actions in order to help right them. This is because sins against the laws of God can be detrimental to many more than just the sinner. But too often we look without mercy at the sinner. We do not admit that he, too, is a child of God, gone astray. Mercy for the sinner does not excuse the sin, however. Sin–large or small-always has consequences, both for the sinner, and unfortunately, for those close to him or her. Pride enters into a lack of mercy, when we do not admit our own status as a sinner. Every one of us is a sinner. If we were not, there would have been no need for Jesus’s Incarnation, or for Him to have laid down His life for us on the cross. The sufferings of Jesus Christ were allowed by God the Father’s limitless love for each one of us.