Bravo, Archbishop Cordileone! On the Other Hand, Who is He to Judge?

Hey people, our intellect is called the "seat of judgment." We are called to judge our own actions and the actions of others. Why? Because you can only learn to make right judgments by practicing right judgment. Duh! Parents MUST judge the actions of their children to teach them the "right way to go." The Ten Commandments is a list of judgments. So are Jesus' statements expanding the Ten Commandments when He said things like, "But I say to you, when a man looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery in His heart." Yes, not only does Jesus judge actions, but the thoughts that precede them.

We may not judge the state of a person's soul. "Hey, Joe Blow is going to hell for shacking up with Fanny." But we can certainly say that Joe Blow's behavior is a serious scandal, and if we are friends with Joe and care about him, a little friendly admonishment is in order.

As a matter of fact, I was talking to a man while waiting for physical therapy the other day. He has a son by a failed marriage and a daughter by a girlfriend. He's got another girlfriend now, but hopefully is chaste. He told me he goes to Church. He misses his daughter and doesn't get to see her enough. We had a short conversation and I said he sounds like he's trying to be a good dad, and he really needs to decide to do things God's way from now on for the sake of his kids. I've got him and the children (and his former girlfriend and former wife and his daughter's half brother) on my prayer list now. So many people out there need a little judgment on their actions as a wake-up call. I hope you'll join me in praying for this very broken, very disordered "family" group. Think of all the confusion for those three poor children!

A big thank you to Archbishop Cordileone and may his next act be to inform his priests that those "obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion." (Canon 915)