Judge Not

I came across this anonymous poem and chuckled at the truth it contains. I love the Catholic faith and recognize myself as one of the many sinners who fill the church each week seeking to repent and reconcile themselves to God through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We stumble and fall constantly but have hope when we refresh ourselves with the Eucharist and try, try again. We must remember always to encourage others while we are on the journey of salvation.


I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash,

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who stole my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Bob, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal?
I would love to hear your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

And why is everyone so quiet?
So somber - give me a clue."
"Hush, child," He said,
"They're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you."

JUDGE NOT!
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!

It is often self-satisfying to be critical of those who are making mistakes. At Saint Joseph's School we teach students and parents alike to extend their hand and help them up to a better way of life instead of pushing them further down with with overly harsh judgement. That's one more way to build tomorrow's leaders (and saints) today.