ОСУЖДЕНИЕ

Be a judge over yourself and over your sins. No one is stopping you from doing this, but meanwhile you will correct your sins in this way, and will not suffer any harm from it. If, forgetting about yourself, you sit as a judge over others, then you insensitively accumulate for yourself only large burdens of sins. So we, I beg you, will in every possible way avoid judging our neighbors. Although you do not have judicial power, but condemn only with your thoughts, you nevertheless become guilty of sin when, having no evidence, you condemn, as often happens, based on mere suspicion and empty slander. That is why blessed David exclaimed: “He who secretly slanderes his neighbor is driven out” (Ps. 100:5) (1). Do not judge others harshly and do not be a cruel judge, but meek and philanthropic. After all, even if we are not guilty of adultery, grave robberies, or theft, we have other sins worthy of many punishments. And the brother was often called a fool, and this exposes us to Gehenna, and they looked at women with incontinent eyes, and this is equal to complete fornication; but what’s worse is that we do not participate in a worthy manner in the Sacraments, which makes us guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us not be strict investigators of other people's affairs, but let us think about our own, and then we will not be so inhuman and cruel. In addition, it must be said that there we will find many good people, often worth an entire city. And in the prison where Joseph was, there were many wicked people, but this righteous man took care of them all; and he himself was kept [there] along with others. He was worth all of Egypt and yet he lived in prison, and none of those who were there knew him. So now, perhaps, there are many honest and kind people there, but they are not known to everyone, and caring for such people rewards you for caring for everyone. And if there were not even one such person, then in this case there would be a great reward. And your Lord Himself did not only talk with the righteous: He did not run away from the unclean, but on the contrary, He accepted the Canaanite woman with great favor, and the sinful and unclean Samaritan woman. He also accepted and healed another harlot, because of whom the Jews reproached Him, and allowed His feet to be wetted with the tears of a sinner, teaching us to be lenient towards sinners. This is what philanthropy consists primarily of. What are you saying? Are there robbers and grave robbers living in the dungeon? But tell me, do all the righteous people live in the city? Are there, on the contrary, many who are worse than those and indulge in robbery with great shamelessness? Those, if nothing else, hide behind at least desert and darkness and do it in secret; these, on the contrary, having cast aside their disguise, commit evil with an open face, indulging in violence, predation and covetousness. And it is difficult to find a person who is pure from untruth (8). Nothing makes one more despicable than inflicting insults; and nothing makes one more respectable than enduring insults. The first (who causes insults) is a villain, and the last (who endures insults) is a wise man; this one is lower than man, and this one is equal to the Angels. Even if (the insulted) were less than the offender, he, if he wanted, could take revenge; but because he does not do this, everyone sympathizes with him, but hates him. Well? Isn't that why it's much better than the first? Everyone will look at him as crazy, and at him as prudent. Therefore, if anyone encourages you to condemn someone, tell him: I cannot say anything bad about him; I'm afraid that he may not be like that. Never say [bad things about another] even in your mind, especially in front of others. Don’t complain about him and before God. If you find out that they are speaking ill of him, defend him; say: these are words of passion, not of a person, of anger, not of a friend, of frenzy, not of the soul (10). You might be interested in: