Father Gavril Galev: On Judging and Condemnation
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Many lessons may be drawn out from this Gospel event, but this time I would like to concentrate on a specific and very ungrateful topic. It is the judgment and condemnation associated with gossip, because they often go together.
First of all, every sin comes from pride. We judge and condemn first and foremost, and this must be clear to you, because by judging the other, we simply admit that he is better than us. Being proud, vain, with a high opinion of ourselves, according to which we must be first, and not seeing ourselves realistically that we are not, then we choose to judge and condemn the other. We condemn and judge the other because we envy him that he is in a better position, although we do not admit it. That is why we envy him and we are jealous of him.
Condemnation, and gossip is, I will say, the most vile passion. It is like a filth around which unclean insects gather, and then like a disease and contagion they spread it in all directions and infect the environment. We do this, first within ourselves, but most of the time we choose to be in company, because we are always looking for an accomplice in evil. In this way, we not only do ourselves evil and harm, but we also lead astray and harm the other, whom we involve in our lawlessness of gossiping, judging and condemning our neighbour. Not only do we destroy ourselves, but we also push others into hell, and what does the Gospel say about such people?
To have a great millstone fastened around his neck …
Such people (those who are involved in gossiping) having no humility and repentance, wanting to justify themselves, will say that they are not guilty because the other forced them to gossip: “I did not want to gossip, but he made me.” However, in reality, we cannot take out of our bag that which is not within it, we can take out only that which is within the bag. Thus, that which is not found in our heart cannot come out of our mouth. So, we find ourselves guilty again. It takes only little stirring in order to entice the evil in us to come out. (That something feeds us and we feel pleasure).
To judge and condemn someone else means that we too have the same traits as the other person. Of course, it is wise, if a person has dignity within himself, to remain silent or to say that he does not want to participate in gossip, and it is even better to prevent it. “Brother, sister, it is not good to gossip, let us first look at our own backyard, let us look in our heart because in our heart there is much more than what we see in the other. Only the God-Man Christ is the One Who has the right to judge. “Unfortunately, we prefer to participate in sin rather than stop it. With that, we show that there is something else hidden in us, that we have malice in us. We love to take delight in gossip. Love behaves differently. Love covers the weaknesses of others and carries their burden upon itself and we simply do not judge and condemn.
Let us consider the children. Children do not know how to judge and condemn. Why? Because they are pure, because they have no sin and no established passions in them. They do not know sin. We recognise it because we are sinful. In the other we see only what, believe me and that is a holy father’s axiom, we also have inside ourselves. All this should direct us to something else, and that is to question ourselves and repent, not to judge and condemn others. If we are prudent and properly use the enlightening grace that God gives us at the beginning of our spiritual life, we should recognise our weaknesses and confess our sins.
No one knows the soul of the one we judge and condemn. Even if he is sinful, even if he sins publicly, even if we have seen him commit a sin in front of us, however, we cannot see what is in his soul and we know nothing of what is happening there within him. Only he and the Lord know what happens there, within him, and of course the spiritual father if he confesses.
So did the Pharisees in this specific event of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was indeed a tax collector, although there is no testimony here about his life, what it was like, whether it was good or bad. From what he said before Christ, it can be seen that he was good, and even if he had done something bad, he repented, he confessed it before Christ and not once, twice or three times, but promised that he would do the opposite even up to four times.
If we do not like someone according to our judgment, we judge them mercilessly. And what if, for example, there is a struggle in his heart and he finds himself in repentance? Repentance, again, is a state of enlightenment, a meeting with the Lord. Presence of the Holy Spirit. By judging and condemning the other we actually judge Christ, we judge the Holy Spirit, and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. This is how in the case of Zacchaeus, Christ came to his home because Zacchaeus humbled himself. In that personal meeting in Zacchaeus’ home, he repented of every sin he had committed, consciously and unconsciously. The Pharisees sat outside, and, being overwhelmed by resentment, envy and jealousy, gossiped about them, judged them and condemned both Christ and Zacchaeus. And that is why we should never judge and condemn anyone for anything!
Before we condemn someone, we should look into our hearts because there is no sinless person, as the Holy Apostle Paul says, I am the most sinful, the first of all. And let us ask forgiveness for our sins. And we should remember this, when the thought arises to condemn someone for something, we should know (this is an indication) that it is time for personal repentance, that it is time for confession, instead of judging and condemning. That bad thought that came against our brother or sister, let us confess and reject it from ourselves.
Zacchaeus, unlike the Pharisees, was focused on himself and his goal. Even though he was well-known amongst the people, he was not ashamed to humble himself and climb the wild fig tree, he was not ashamed that people could see him, because he knew why he was doing this. He wanted to meet with Christ, with the Truth, with the Love, with God. That is why Christ told him to come down immediately because today I will be in your home, and he made it happen. Christ noticed him and told him that He wanted to come to his home today. Zacchaeus later in his life left everything and followed Christ and became one of His 70 Apostles and his life was ended for the sake of Christ.
So it is with us brothers and sisters, when we humble ourselves, when we self-deprecate, when we look at our deeds, then God will enter into our homes, enter into our hearts. And when God is with us then what can we think about, except to rejoice and do everything possible in order to preserve that joy. We should always know that when we do not feel joy in our heart, and in this particular case which is related to judgment and condemnation, and gossip, it is a sign of the ultimate absence of God, it is a state of hell. Hell is nothing but the absence of God, the absence of love, as a consequence we lose peace and security, so we feel insecure, failed, lonely, depressed, etc.
Thus, may you know, apart from our personal repentance, our personal meeting with Christ, our personal confession before Him in which we do not seek justification, we do not seek explanation, we do not seek condemnation of the other, the only correct thought is only the prayer call: Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Father Gavril Galev
Abbot of the Monastery of St. Clement of Ohrid
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
