St. Teresa of Calcutta and the Sin of Judgment



As a child, Mother Teresa was in good hands with her mother in Skopje. At home, when one of her 3 children murmured against a teacher or another person, she would immediately turn off the electricity. She then explained that she did not want to pay for electricity for children who were saying bad things about others.
In her very direct style, Mother Teresa, who had picked up the lesson, beamed light on the sin of judgment wherever it hurt brotherly love. A few examples:
“It is better to excuse than to accuse.”    
  
“If you judge someone, then you don’t have time to love him.”

In front of someone who was describing the corruption that was rampant in Calcutta, she exclaimed: “I know full well that there is corruption in Calcutta! But I also know that there is good, and I choose to see the good!”

As for insults that one might receive, she said: “If someone accuses you, ask yourself: ‘is he right?’ If he’s right, go ask him for forgiveness. If he’s wrong, then seize the insult you received with both hands. Don’t drop it, take this opportunity and offer it to Jesus as a sacrifice. Rejoice that you have something worthwhile to offer Him.”

She practiced this herself, and she went on to say: “There is one sin that I never had to confess, that of judging someone.”