OUT OF THE BOX
“For which of these are you trying to stone me?” – John 10:32
Do you ever feel like you have to live with other people’s expectations? I do, and it can really be stressful. Coming from Mass one day, the woman beside me whispered, “You know these people are wrong (pointing to those praying in the Blessed Sacrament). I saw some of them. They don’t know how to make the sign of the cross.”
And then she gave me a whole lecture on how it should be done with matching actions. I kept quiet while she was talking, just nodding my head, to be polite. But in my mind, I felt that it was her who was wrong, not those people she was criticizing.
Jesus experienced the same judgmental attitude. He performed good works — healing the sick, casting out demons, teaching people to forgive, etc. But people were not grateful for what He did. Instead, they stoned Him for these good deeds. Because they said He was making Himself God, and yet He was just man.
It’s easy to see the mistakes of others. But when we are not ruled by our expectations of others, we become more accepting of their weaknesses. And perhaps life will be better because we live our lives out of the box. Marisa Aguas (jojangaguas@yahoo.com)
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REFLECTION:
Do you see yourself better than others? Do you see their faults, not yours?
Forgive me, Lord, for my self-righteousness. Teach me to see and accept people as they are, not as I expect them to be.
St. Peter Regalado, pray for us.
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