We all have judged others and we have all been judged as well. It is very typical for us to judge other people based on their appearance. According to a study, there are three reasons that are important to us, as to why we judge others:

• First is morality. Is this person honest? Is this person trustworthy? Will this person not harm me?
• The second is competence. Is this person intelligent? Is he skilled? What does he have that may be useful to me?
• Third is sociability. Is this person friendly and warm? Is he aloof?

Of course, since we do not know that person completely, many times, we are wrong. 

In the Gospel, even Jesus was not exempted from being judged by his townmates. Certainly, from the start the knew him, they knew Joseph and Mary and they knew his relatives. Yet, when Jesus spoke about God, they took offense at him. “Where did this man get all the wisdom?”

On the other hand, we remember the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: “When we judge, we have no time to love”. Hence, three things we can do to avoid having a mind that is judgmental:

1. We are not better than others. Each person has his own gifts, and his own blessings according to his or her own calling. Hence, no one is better than others when it comes to competence.
   
2. When it comes to morality, not one of us is perfect. When a person commits a mistake, it seems we know him already from birth. We already have boxed him. Someone once said, “We can only judge if we have placed ourselves in his shoes.”
   
3. There is goodness in each person. There are people whose goodness is obvious and there are people whose goodness is not immediately apparent, but eventually comes out.

In this Mass, we apologize for the many times we judged others. May we remember that when we judge it is not defining others, it is defining who we are.