It's Not About Us

A Reflection on the Second Reading for September 13th, 2020:
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Romans
14.7-9

Brothers and sisters: We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

In this chapter from the letter to the Romans, Paul is warning the Church of the dangers of judgement. The Romans were apparently struggling with judging others for how they were living, what they were eating, and how they were worshipping God, among many other things. They were doing what they thought was pleasing to God and passing judgment on what others were doing to please God.

How easy it is for us to fall into this trap. We think we know why someone is behaving or living a certain way. We pass judgement on them without knowing their full story. But even if we know the story, we can’t always know the true motivation behind the action. We decide the "why" all too easily. 

I know there have been times when I have determined someone's reason for their action only to take a closer look and realize that I had made a rash judgement that hurt our relationship. If this has ever happened to you, you know how hard it can be to heal such a hurt.


Jesus knows our hearts better than we do. He alone can truly judge fairly. 


Paul tells us, “Whether we live or whether we die we are the Lord’s.” In other words, “It’s not about us.” If we keep our focus on Jesus and remember the sacrifice He made in order for us to live and die in Him, then when we are tempted to judge others we can keep things in perspective and remember that the only person who is qualified to judge is Jesus. 

So let's turn to Him now and ask forgiveness for the times that we have passed judgement unjustly:
 
Lord God, forgive me for allowing my sinful nature to harden my heart and turn my eyes away from You. Help me to always keep You at the center of my life so I can see all people as You see them. 

Amen




Maxine Brown
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