It's not you - it's me...

"We must proceed to rectify rash judgments, according to their cause. Some hearts there are so bitter and harsh by nature, that everything turns bitter under their touch; men who, in the Prophet’s words, 'turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth.'"

This past week I watched the PBS series, The Clinton Years, covering the presidency of Bill Clinton.  I have nothing to say here about Clinton, except regarding the leaks and subsequent investigations surrounding the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  We all know the story, the deceit, the obstruction of justice which led to the impeachment of the President, and so on.  Yet what disturbed me the most was the behind the scenes intrigue connected to the investigation, as well as the public outrage and controversy generated by the scandal:  Rash judgement, detraction, calumny, criticism, condemnation, anger, scoffing, mocking, ridicule... so many sins were generated.  On all sides.

It caused me to examine myself and what I sometimes write about on this blog.  For the most part, I really do write corrections to myself - especially when I record quotes by spiritual writers - I'm usually sharing corrections to my own conduct I have found helpful - or at least I am noting them in order to reinforce them to myself.  So please do not take what I write here personally.

Nevertheless, I have been - at the very least, indiscreet with not a few of my posts, although I'm afraid some may have been worse than that.  I believe at times I've been guilty of attitudes and behaviors St. Francis De Sales points out in the following excerpt from his Introduction to the Devout Life:

FROM rash judgments proceed mistrust, contempt for others, pride, and self-sufficiency, and numberless other pernicious results, among which stands forth prominently the sin of slander, which is a veritable pest of society. 

 I entreat you never speak evil of any, either directly or indirectly; beware of ever unjustly imputing sins or faults to your neighbour, of needlessly disclosing his real faults, of exaggerating such as are overt, of attributing wrong motives to good actions, of denying the good that you know to exist in another, of maliciously concealing it, or depreciating it in conversation. In all and each of these ways you grievously offend God, although the worst is false accusation, or denying the truth to your neighbour’s damage, since therein you combine his harm with falsehood. 

Those who slander others with an affectation of good will, or with dishonest pretences of friendliness, are the most spiteful and evil of all. They will profess that they love their victim, and that in many ways he is an excellent man, but all the same, truth must be told, and he was very wrong in such a matter; or that such and such a woman is very virtuous generally, but and so on. Do you not see through the artifice? - Introduction, Chapter XXIX

I hope and pray to avoid such sins in the future and to make reparation for even the appearance of such sins in my past, keeping in mind this admonition from St. Francis:

But while extremely sensitive as to the slightest approach to slander, you must also guard against an extreme into which some people fall, who, in their desire to speak evil of no one, actually uphold and speak well of vice. If you have to do with one who is unquestionably a slanderer, do not excuse him under the expressions of frank and free-spoken; do not call one who is notoriously vain, liberal and elegant; do not call dangerous levities mere simplicity; do not screen disobedience under the name of zeal, or arrogance of frankness, or evil intimacy of friendship. No, my child, we must never, in our wish to shun slander, foster or flatter vice in others; but we must call evil evil, and sin sin, and so doing we shall serve God’s Glory, always bearing in mind the following rules. 

 Public, notorious sinners may be spoken of freely, provided always even then that a spirit of charity and compassion prevail, and that you do not speak of them with arrogance or presumption, or as though you took pleasure in the fall of others. To do this is the sure sign of a mean ungenerous mind. And, of course, you must speak freely in condemnation of the professed enemies of God and His Church, heretics and schismatics,—it is true charity to point out the wolf wheresoever he creeps in among the flock. Most people permit themselves absolute latitude in criticising and censuring rulers, and in calumniating nationalities, according to their own opinions and likings. But do you avoid this fault; it is displeasing to God, and is liable to lead you into disputes and quarrels. - ibid 

Works for me.  I just hope I can do it.   Please pray for me.

Art: A Fool-in-Christ - Pavel Svedomsky