On Judging Others

Why are we so ready to judge our neighbor? Why are we so concerned about the burden of others? We have plenty to be concerned about, each one has his own debt and his own sins. It is for God alone to judge, to justify or to condemn. He knows the state of each one of us and our capacities, our deviations, and our gifts, our constitution and our preparedness, and it is for him to judge each of these things according to the knowledge that he alone has. For God judges the affairs of a bishop in one way and those of a prince in another. His judgment is for an abbot or for a disciple, he judges differently the senior and the neophyte, the sick man and the healthy man. Who could understand all these judgments except the one who has done everything, formed everything, and knows everything?

——Doretheos of Gaza

The holy monk gives us advice on judging others. We have all experienced the hurt of being judged harshly by others who are not capable of truly understanding the plight that we are facing. Abba Doretheos puts forth the wisdom of tending our own lives before we judge others. He makes it abundantly clear that only the Holy One could possible know all that goes into our decisions in life, therefore, only He can judge us with wisdom and grace. Different people with varying functions in life have unique needs and are judged by appropriate standards. Only God can be a proper judge.