Vigils Reading

YOUR VERDICT ON OTHERS,

WILL BE THE VERDICT PASSED ON YOU

From a homily of St Asterius of Amasea2

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If you desire to resemble God, for you have been created in God’s own

image, imitate your model. You, Christians, whose very name calls to mind love,

imitate Christ’s love. Consider and wonder at the wealth of Christ’s love for us.

When he was about to show himself to us in our own nature, he sent John to

preach repentance by word and example. Before John he sent all the prophets.

They too were to teach people to amend their lives. Then he came himself and

with his own voice cried out: Come to me, all you who labour and are

overburdened, and I will give you rest. And how did he receive those who

listened to his call and followed him? He readily forgave them their sins,

instantly relieving them of all their cause for grief. The Word has sanctified

them and the Spirit has confirmed them. Their old self was buried in the waters

of baptism and a new self born; their youth was renewed by grace. And the

result? Enemies of God became his friends, strangers to him became his

children, idolaters became worshipers of the true God.

You, therefore, who are harsh and unable to show gentleness, learn

goodness from your Creator. Do not act as bitter judges and severe arbiters

toward those who are your companions in service, as you wait for the coming of

One who will reveal the secret recesses of the heart and, as the Almighty Lord,

will assign to each person their proper place in the life beyond.

Do not pass severe judgements that you may avoid being judged with the

same severity, being pierced yourselves by the words of your own mouth as by

sharp-pointed teeth. For it is against this kind of fault that the words of the

gospel seem indeed to warn us where it is said: If you want to avoid judgement,

stop passing judgement, your verdict on others will be the verdict passed on

you.

Christ does not thereby mean that he wants to banish discernment and

wisdom. What he condemns is a condemnation that is too severe. So, lighten as

much as possible the weight of your measurement of others, if you want your

own actions not to be considered excessively heavy when our lives are weighed

at the divine judgement… Do not refuse to act mercifully that you yourselves

may not be sent away unpardoned at the time when you will need forgiveness.

2 Homily 13: PG 40, 355-359C-D. [CR VI 221] [cf. also WS II 176].5