Daniel 9:4-10 / Luke 6:36-38
Famous persons like Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison and Charles Darwin had something in common in their childhood years.
They were told that they would never make it anywhere in life.
They were told that they belonged to the scrap-bin, that they were slow-learners, that they were a liability in society.
Yet, they made it somewhere in life, and what's more, they became someone in life.
It only goes to show that premature judgement is a terrible thing to do as it can destroy a person's self-worth.
We only know of those who survived and proved others wrong.
But how about those who were trampled down by unfair judgement and criticism and unforgiveness?
All these are terrible and destructive sins.
When we judge others, highlight their faults and would not open the door to forgiveness, it shows one thing.
It shows that we are unaware of our own faults and our own sinfulness.
We must continue to reflect on what the prophet Daniel said in the 1st reading: Lord, we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have not listened.
Let us ask the Lord to help us to be aware and to realize our sinfulness.
Only then can we be open to the compassion of God, a compassion that is given to us in full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.