99. Fifth Monday of Lent

Meditations no. 145 (unofficial computer-aided translation)

In the face of misunderstandings we must trust in the Lord.

O eternal God, you discern what is secret, you are aware of all things before they come to be; you know that these men have borne false witness against me.

These were the words of a God-fearing woman who found herself unjustly condemned. How these utterances must pierce heaven and reach the ears of the Just Judge, who has pity because of his Love, because he loves us as his own! And what respect, what veneration we must feel towards each soul, for the simple reason that each one belongs to God! In our ears there resound the words of Jesus Christ: Judge not, that you be not judged. By this commandment, St John Chrysostom comments, the Lord does not forbid us to correct others, but he does forbid people to despise and hate others merely on the basis of suspicion.

True charity towards our neighbour arises from the very depths of our heart. Hence, when there is love of God, a Christian cannot be indifferent to the lot of other men. He must show respect in his dealings with all men. Conversely, when love shrinks, there arises the danger of thoughtlessly, mercilessly, invading the conscience of others.

As is often the case with souls who serve God sincerely, a great deal of calumny and criticism was levelled at our Father, who time and again, over a number of years … served as a bull’s-eye for the target-practice of those who specialize in gossip, defamation and calumny. The grace of God and a nature little given to recrimination, our Father remarked, speaking in the third person, have spared them from the slightest trace of bitterness. Mihi pro minimo est, ut a vobis iudicer, to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, they could say with St Paul. Using a more common expression, they could have added that the whole thing was just a storm in a tea-cup. And that’s the truth.

Nonetheless, I can’t deny that I am saddened by those who unjustly attack the integrity of others, for the slanderer destroys himself. And I suffer, too, for all those who, in the face of arbitrary and outrageous accusations, do not know where to turn. They are frightened. They do not believe it is possible. They wonder if the whole thing is not a nightmare.

These are the feelings which are reflected in the First Reading of the Mass of today. We read the story of Susanna, that chaste woman so falsely accused of wrongdoing by two lustful old men. Susanna groaned deeply; there is no escape for me, she said, either way. It is death if I consent, and if I refuse I shall be at your mercy. How often does the trickery of those moved by envy and intrigue force many noble Christians into the same corner? They are offered only one choice: offend God or ruin their reputation. The only acceptable and upright solution is, at the same time, highly painful. Yet they must decide: Let me rather fall into your power through no act of mine, than commit sin in the Lord’s sight.

If ever we find ourselves in similar circumstances, let us resolve never to become sad if our upright conduct is misunderstood by others; if the good which, with the continuous help of our Lord, we try to accomplish is misinterpreted by others, who delight in unjustly guessing at our motives and accuse us of wicked designs and deceitful behaviour.

Let us forgive always, with a smile on our lips. Let us speak clearly, without hard feelings, when in conscience we think we ought to speak. Let us leave everything in the hands of our Father God, with a divine silence - Iesus autem tacebat, Jesus was silent - if we are confronted with personal attacks, no matter how brutal and shameful they might be. Let us concern ourselves only with doing good deeds. God will see to it that they shine before men.

We must defend God’s rights and uphold the truth, but always with charity.

Some men brought a sinful woman to Jesus and said: In the law Moses commanded us to stone such people. What do you say about her?

The matter was publicly known. There was no doubt that the sin had been committed. Those men, however, were not concerned at the offence that had been committed against God, nor did they have any desire of correcting the woman’s behaviour or bringing her to repentance. Their sole purpose was to lay a trap for Jesus; their intentions were twisted. But Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And they began to go away one by one in shame, beginning with the eldest, who were the ones who had accumulated most sins in their hearts. But despite being sinful themselves, they had no understanding for other people’s weaknesses.

The teaching of this Gospel passage is very clear. It is not our task to judge others, for only God’s eyes can see what is hidden; only he can read our hearts and weigh all the circumstances behind a given action. A minimum of justice requires that, even when actual wrongdoing is suspected, an investigation of this sort should be carried out with caution and moderation, lest mere possibility be converted into certainty. What is needed in order to judge rightly is a clean heart, zeal for the things of God, and love for souls.

But there are cases when we must judge or take sides, and cannot simply look on passively. We need to know when something goes beyond the sphere of an individual conscience and is translated into words or deeds that affect us personally; and everything that has to do with God, the Church and the Work, affects us personally. And in defence of the rights of God, we should bear witness to the truths for when that is at stake we cannot compromise. But even in these cases, our judgement should respect the intentions of the person involved, and be formed in charity.

Only through love can we give others the benefit of the doubt. That is why God forgives, understands and justifies, while we humans are inclined to judge rashly. Love, true charity, can put a check on judgement and condemnation. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.

We must always find excuses for others - if not for their actions, at least for their intentions.

The Gospel goes on to tell us that Jesus looked up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.” She had sinned, and Christ did not hesitate to describe it as precisely that - a sin. Nevertheless, he felt compassion for that weak soul. It was to this end that he came to earth, to seek and to save the lost, not to destroy. The Lord has taken our weaknesses upon himself, to stop them from weighing us down.

How great is God’s mercy! That is the mercy we must have for each soul. Zeal for the things of God must always go together with love for souls, whom Christ has ransomed at a great price. Hence our mercy should be greater towards those who need it more. Mercy, St Augustine tells us, lies precisely in taking pity on the wretchedness of others and trying to cure them if possible. We must provide help, affection, and above all, understanding. As our Father has written: You must never treat anyone unmercifully. If you think someone is not worthy of your mercy, you should realize that you don’t deserve mercy either.

You do not deserve to have been created, or to be a Christian, or to be a son of God, or to have the family you have…

St Bernard teaches that even if you see something wrong, you must not judge your neighbour on the spot. You must excuse the intention even if you cannot excuse the deed. You must think that that person might have acted out of thoughtlessness or ignorance. We must try to give people the benefit of the doubt, while at the same time, if appropriate, we should point out their error to them in order to help them put it right.

We will not be understanding if we are not humble, because humility, our Father says, is the virtue that teaches us that the signs of respect for others - for their good name, their good faith, their privacy - are not external conventions, but the first signs of charity and justice.

Christian charity cannot be limited to giving things or money to the needy. It seeks, above all, to respect and understand each person for what he is, in his intrinsic dignity as a man and child of God. Consequently, those who impugn the reputation and honour of others show that they are ignorant of some truths of our Christian faith and, in any case, lacking in an authentic love of God…

I hope we will be able to derive some very practical consequences from this conversation with God. Let us especially resolve not to judge others, not to doubt their good will, to drown evil in an abundance of good, sowing loyal friendship, justice and peace all around us.

This is what we can ask for, from our Blessed Lady. She is the Mother of mercy, and she gives most help to those children of hers who are most in need.