Day Thirty-six

There seem to be any number of things that can distract my focus and consequently detract from my relationship with the Other. Keeping mindful of the relationship on an ongoing basis is a challenge even when I try to be intentional about it. Harder still is staying cognizant of the Other’s omnipresence in the Whole, most especially when that includes other people who seem so different from me. If I was to prioritize I’m pretty sure that this inability to see and to accept that God is in others just as surely as God is in me ranks as my cardinal sin. This manifests itself as being judgmental, and I am both embarrassed and ashamed at the discovery of the degree to which this condition hampers my relationship with the Creator.

Just as I am not always aware of my relationship with God, so aren’t the others of whom I find myself sitting in judgment. If sin actually is broken relationship with the Infinite then it is a widespread human condition. As I judge others, so they judge me, and a vicious cycle develops that often shuts God out altogether. It is important to remember that God is not absent from these situations, but does end up being “ignored” through a lack of comprehension that is caused by focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of looking at someone who is different from me with an appreciation of God’s diversity (and vice versa) I am much more apt to view her/him from a vantage of superiority because I believe God is less present in them than in me.

Among the traditional passages of scripture to reflect and meditate upon during this Holy Week are the last words of the Christ from the Cross. Again, these are not contained in any one Gospel but have been passed down by the tradition as a composite. Most relevant to my sin of being judgmental is the incomprehensible moment when Jesus looks upon his persecutors and prays, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NRSV) That these words are not deemed authentically those of Jesus does not deprive them of the powerful way they speak to the character of the man. If such is the spirit of the Christ, then surely I must begin to look at others with compassion and forgiveness rather than judgment and disdain. If successful, my reward will be a renewed and strengthened connection with God!