Jesus tells us not to judge each other because most of the time, our flaws are far worse than those we seek to judge. We all have a lot of work to do on this one. How do we develop a habit of perceiving the big flaws in ourselves before we go picking at the smaller flaws in others? One way to get ourselves out this trouble is to simply not see the flaws in others. I know people who are that well-disciplined and generous in spirit. They are much more spiritually mature than most of us. But for many others, live and let live, is their motto. That is taking the uncomplicated way out. There is no self-examination there.
Jesus’ message for us today challenges me to not just to ignore the faults of others, but to first engage in self-reflection of my own sins. That is demanding work. But if I do that honestly, and try to resolve them, I think I might even be able to lovingly help others to resolve their own sins as well. It seems to me that a healthy Christian community is a place where we can all learn to engage in deep self-reflection of our own sins as we lovingly stand in solidarity with and learn to forgive each other.
Unfortunately, our larger society is not ready for this right now. There is too much self-righteousness on the part of people who pass judgment on others without any compassion for them. Jesus clearly warns us against that sort of behavior. I pray today that Christians can model self-examination and forgiveness for others in solidarity with them as we work together to create hope for our nation and the world.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
