“A man named Shimei… cursing as he came… threw stones at David and all the king’s officers.” 2Samuel 16:5-6
One of King David’s soldiers offered to go and deal with Shimei but David stopped him saying.
“What business is it of mine or yours? …Suppose the Lord has told him to curse David.” 2Samuel 16:10
Even in our age of instant communication we seldom know the whole story. Nearly everyday we are exposed to scandals, high profile court cases, and people acting in ways that shock us. It is very tempting for us to pass judgment based on partial information.
But Our Lord has made it clear to us that we must allow the good and the bad to exist side by side. It is not our place to judge for we may be wrong. Some actions of course are intrinsically evil and must be condemned, however when it comes to individuals we must be much more careful. It is the proper disposition of every Christian to think the best of everyone, to consider every situation in the most charitable light possible.
The wheat and the weeds grow alongside each other. It is God’s part and not our own to separate good from evil at the harvest.
As faithful servants we must recognize that we could be wrong about someone we suppose to be evil. Intolerance gives rise to fanaticism. In our zeal to root out evil we run the risk of harming the good and becoming unfaithful servants of God.
Pax Vobiscum
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time