This is bitter medicine that heals deep, often unseen, wounds. St. Dorotheos of Gaza (+565), disciple of Sts. Barsanuphius and John, plainly teaches us the necessity to cease from judging our neighbor, for we may only know the actions, but not the inner heart. He uses many examples, including the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, by saying, “Because of this he was not condemned, as I said, not even because he said, 'I am not like other men', but [he was condemned] because he said, 'I am not like this tax-collector'. It was then that he made a judgment. He condemned a person and the dispositions of his soul—to put it shortly, his whole life. Therefore, the tax-collector rather than the Pharisee went away justified. Nothing is more serious, nothing more difficult to deal with, as I say repeatedly, than judging and despising our neighbor.”  

O Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of St. Dorotheos, forgive us and lead us on the path to love and holy discernment.  

The text can be found here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/doroth... 

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