SAINT ISIDORE, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

O eternal God, you know what is hidden.

Have you ever followed a scandal that played out in public? Usually someone accuses a prominent person of a misdeed, and the accused denies any wrongdoing. Maybe you read a few news stories and discuss the incident with friends. You try to decide who is telling the truth. Your opinion is based not just on facts but on impressions as well. A person’s wealth, politics, job, marital status, and other factors may influence you—even when you don’t recognize it.

That describes the drama in today’s first reading. Just about everyone made judgments about Susanna based largely on impressions. Susanna was a beautiful woman, so you could imagine the men assuming that she had a secret lover. The two judges who accused her were respected in their community. Their position was enough to make people take their side, and it appears to have influenced the decision not to allow Susanna to testify. She didn’t stand a chance!

Then came Daniel, a man of integrity and justice. By questioning the men individually, he allowed the truth of Susanna’s innocence to come out.

Scripture tells us, “God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). That’s exactly what Daniel exposed: the deceitful, selfish hearts of these judges.

What do you think the world might look like if we weren’t so quick to judge? What would happen if we took the time to listen and to ask questions instead of assuming we knew what other people were thinking? And more to the point, what do you think the world might look like if we all looked at each other as being created in God’s own image? Imagine the respect and dignity we would show everyone! We would take the time to get to know people who seem different from us. We would refrain from making hurtful comments about people we disagree with. We would learn from every person we encounter.

In short, we would act the way God has called us to act—with humility, a sincere desire for truth, and loving hearts.

“Father, help me to be quick to listen and slow to judge.”

Psalm 23:1-6
John 8:12-20
Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62