If We Judge Our Neighbors Harshly, it is From a High Opinion of Ourselves and From the Instigation of the Enemy. How to Overcome This Inclination

From self-love and self-conceit there is born in us yet another evil that causes us serious harm—namely, the harsh judging and condemning of our neighbor, as a result of which we then count him for nothing, despise him, and belittle him at every opportunity. This wicked habit and vice, springing from pride, is nourished and fostered by it, and in turn nourishes and fosters pride; for our arrogance advances further after every act of condemnation, on account of the self-satisfaction and self-gratification that accompany such an act.

Setting a high value on ourselves and thinking highly of ourselves, we naturally look down on others, judge them, and despise them, for it seems to us that we are far removed from those faults which, as we imagine, are not alien to others. And then our all-malicious enemy, seeing in us such an ill disposition, stands watchfully near and, opening our eyes, teaches us to observe keenly what others do and say, to draw conclusions from this about what thoughts and feelings they have, and on the basis of these suppositions to form our own opinion of them—most often an unfavorable one—attributing this unfavorableness to an ingrained character. These judges do not notice or see that the very beginning of condemnation—the suspicion of evil in others—is impressed upon the mind by the action of the enemy, and it is he who then fans it into a conviction that others really are as supposed, even though in fact there is nothing of the kind.

But, my brother, as the enemy watches over you vigilantly, looking for how to sow evil in you, watch all the more vigilantly over yourself, so as not to fall into the snares he lays for you. As soon as he presents to you some fault in your neighbor, hasten quickly to turn away this thought, not letting it settle and grow within you; drive it out completely so that no trace of it remains, replacing it with a thought about the good qualities you know in that neighbor and those which are generally fitting in people. To this add, if you still feel the urge to pass judgment, the truth that you have not been given the authority to do so, and that by arrogating this authority to yourself, you at that very moment become worthy of judgment and condemnation—not before weak human beings, but before the all-powerful Judge of all, God.

Such a reversal of thought is the most powerful means not only for driving away the judgmental thoughts that happen to arise, but also for weaning oneself entirely from this vice. The second, likewise very powerful means to this end is never to let slip from the mind the remembrance of one’s own wretchedness, one’s own impure and evil passions and deeds, and correspondingly to keep a constant sense of one’s own unworthiness. Of both—passions and passionate deeds—there will certainly be no small number in you. If you have not abandoned yourself and waved your hand, saying, “come what may,” then you cannot but be concerned about the healing of your moral infirmities, which are destroying you. But if you do this sincerely, you should not have time to occupy yourself with the affairs of others and to pass judicial sentences upon them; for then, if you permit yourself to do so, in your ears will ceaselessly ring: ”Physician, heal yourself; first remove the beam from your own eye” (Lk. 4:23; Mt. 7:5).

Furthermore, when you judge harshly some wicked act of your neighbor, know that some root of that same wickedness exists in your own heart, which, owing to its passionateness, teaches you to construct guesses about others and to judge them. ”The evil person out of an evil treasure of the heart brings forth evil” (Mt. 12:35). On the contrary, an eye that is pure and dispassionate looks upon the actions of others dispassionately, not maliciously. ”Your eyes are too pure to look on evil” (Hab. 1:13). Therefore, when the thought comes to you to judge another for some fault, be indignant with yourself, as one who does such things and is guilty of the same, and say in your heart: “How shall I, a wretch, being in the same sin myself and committing even more grievous transgressions, dare to lift my head to see the faults of others and judge them?” Acting thus, you will turn the weapon with which an evil thought urges you to wound another back upon yourself, and instead of wounding your brother you will apply a healing salve to your own wounds.

And even when a brother’s sin is not secret but open and visible to all, try to see its cause not in what the evil passion of judging suggests, but in what brotherly love toward him might point out, and say to yourself: since this brother possesses many hidden virtues, God, in order to preserve them from being corrupted by vainglory, has permitted him to fall into his present sin, or to remain for a short time under this unseemly covering, so that he may appear worthless even in his own eyes, and, being despised by others for it, may reap the fruit of humility and become still more pleasing to God—so that in the present case he will receive more benefit than he has suffered harm. Even if someone’s sin is not only open but very grave and proceeds from a hardened and unrepentant heart, even then do not judge him, but raise the eyes of your mind to the incomprehensible and wondrous judgments of God, and you will see how many people who were previously extremely wicked afterwards repented and attained a high degree of holiness, and how, on the other hand, others who stood at a high degree of perfection fell into a deep abyss. Take care lest you yourself suffer such a calamity for your judging.

Therefore stand always with fear and trembling, fearing more for yourself than for anyone else. And be assured that every good word about your neighbor and every joy in him are in you the fruit and work of the Holy Spirit, whereas, on the contrary, every ill word about him and every contemptuous condemnation of him proceed from your own wickedness and from the devil’s suggestion to you. Therefore, when you are scandalized by some improper act of a brother, do not let your eyes sleep until you have driven this scandal from your heart and are completely at peace with your brother.