Judging Others

Today's Gospel from Mark 6: 1-6 relates the reaction of the local neighbors to the teaching of Jesus in the synagogue.  "Where did he get all this knowledge? Who is he except the son of the carpenter? What can he know? We know his family; we knew him growing up."  They rejected him and due to their lack of faith, he could only perform a few healings.  Their lack of faith astonished him.  Yet, so like those people are we in our everyday dealings with others. We ask those same questions, and because of our rash judgments deprive people of opportunities to show their gifts, or to become our friends.  The Native American Deacons I knew on the Pine Ridge Reservation, like Jesus, were not welcome in their local parishes as people pointed to their past histories, often including drinking, their families, or their poor education  and accused them of trying to be better than they.  Even in the annals of our Marist history, one community had to be corrected by St. Marcellin, whose approach might serve as a model for us.
Br. Hippolyte, who had a lame leg, was always late for morning prayer, since he could not walk to the chapel from the river where the brothers washed up, as fast as the rest.  He was scolded by the brothers and reported to Fr. Champagnat as lazy and eternally tardy.  Fr. Champagnat called attention to the cause of Br. Hippolyte's tardiness and solved the problem by giving him a jug which he could fill with water and wash up in his room before prayer.  He was never late again.  If we look behind the appearances that cause us to judge, we most always will find another side which can change our opinion.  St. Marcellin, may we see people with eyes of compassion  as you did, and avoid rash judging them.
Bro. Rene