Judgment
“It is not right for me to judge anyone,” she peevishly exclaimed. “How do I know what is in his heart?” she countered again to her friend, who had critically called a particular clergyman’s behavior as evil. Her friend threw a verbal dart back at her, saying “If one does not render judgment about an individual’s behavior, then you are indicating that there is no difference between an Adolph Hitler and a St. Francis. Without rendering a judgment on an individual’s behavior, there is no distinction between good and evil, and then society will crash into chaos.” Her friend replied, “But who am I to judge?” The answer to her question followed quickly, “You are a thinking rational being endowed by God with a conscience and the natural law, you have an obligation to make choices, accepting or rejecting certain human behaviors. Remember that God will judge you based on the choices you make ….or fail to make.” The two friends continued to counter each other’s rational. In the end they agreed that judgments about human behaviors must be made, if a just and lasting society could exist and succeed. They agreed to differ on who should do the judging.
No matter how one views the judging of other individuals’ actions, there one certain judgment that every individual will face. It is one’s final judgment…..it is God’s judgment upon an individual at his/her death. This judgment cannot be avoided; no excuses or evasions will be considered. Each individual will experience God’s judgment; God’s justice will be immediate, final, and permanent. No one will be exempt from facing God’s judgment. While God’s mercy is so great as to be unfathomable to humans, the time to seek God’s mercy is during one’s life and ends with his death; after death all that remains is His judgment. “Because now is the time for mercy, whereas the time to come will be the time for justice only: wherefore the present time is ours, but the future time will be God’s only.” (St. Thomas Aquinas as quoted by Hardon, Fr. John (2011-05-27). The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom (p. 283). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.) After judgment, God will determine each person’s destination; heaven or hell are the only two destinations, although for those destined for heaven a period of purification may be required.
The Bible phrase,“He will come to judge the living and the dead”, indicates to man that his judge will be Jesus Christ. St, John notes that “He hath given him power to make judgment because he is the Son of Man.” (John5, 27) Jesus will be the judge and each person’s conscience will be the witness before Jesus.. It is the conscience which will indict or justify the individual. God’s judgment for the guilty will not be gentle; hell is not a gentle state….hell is hell from which there is no escape.
During his lifetime, can an individual prevent his sins from condemning him at the time of judgment? One remedy for sin is good deeds. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul advises the Romans that good deeds can help make them friends of Jesus. “Do that which is good; and thou shall have praise from the same.” Secondly, the confession and repentance of the evil one has done is a remedy for evil. Additionally, through almsgiving one can build on the virtue of charity (love) for “charity covereth a multitude of sins.”
However, we should never forget for one moment that judgment will be rendered on all of us by Jesus. We should prepare for it….no we must be prepared and that preparation begins NOW.