Part 3, Chapter 28
God has x-ray vision. He looks into our hearts. He knows are intentions, motives, and reasons why we do what we do. God knows everything. And because He has x-ray vision, He knows and judges us correctly. He is the perfect judge.
We, on the other hand, do not have x-ray vision; we can only partially look into someone’s heart to see their intentions, motives and reasons. We don’t know everything. And since we don’t have x-ray vision, we do not judge correctly. We are imperfect judges! Thus we shouldn’t judge.
Many times when we see someone doing something wrong, we think the worst of them. We think that they are evil. We might even think that they are going to hell for what they are doing. But our good St. Francis De Sales says, “And so ought we always to judge our neighbor as charitably as may be” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 130). We should look to excuse the person, find some way to see them in a positive light. Sometimes this is just not possible. “When a just man cannot see any excuse for what is done by a person in whose general worthy he believes, he still refrains from judging him, and leaves all to God’s judgment” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 130). God is the only one who can judge, He is perfect and knows all, He makes a perfect judgment when He does.
But what do we do when we see someone committing a wrong? First, pray for them, asking God to open their eyes. Second, we should ask what God wants us to do with it. Than take the action that God has told us to do.
Now if, for example, the wrong someone is committing is robbing a bank, we should call the cops because we are seeing the issue and this problem should be fixed. Otherwise, we would be making the mistake of not correcting the sinner. Too often our society thinks that any correction of something we are doing is “judging them.” But if we take this logic to its logical conclusion, we would than not have cops, judges, and juries because we could not testify to any wrong that someone did. We are called to at times correct the faults of others, but always in charity and with much love. We too are sinners who make mistakes. Be patient with others and just love them.