Fr. Mike Says You Should Judge People (Kind Of)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Episode Title: Fr. Mike Says You Should Judge People (Kind Of)
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Published On: July 10, 2025
Producer: Ascension
Podcast Description: Faith, pop culture, and headline reflections from Fr. Mike Schmitz.

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Introduction

In this thought-provoking episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz delves into the nuanced interpretation of judgment as taught in the Bible, specifically focusing on Matthew Chapter 7. He addresses a commonly misunderstood verse, clarifying what Jesus truly meant when He instructed, "Do not judge, lest you be judged."

Understanding Biblical Judgment

Fr. Mike begins by introducing the well-known biblical passage from Matthew 7:1-5, where Jesus advises against judgment. He states:

"Jesus, while he said, do not judge lest you be judged. Do not condemn lest you be condemned. I don't think it means what you think it means." ([00:30])

Key Points:

• Common Misinterpretation: Many interpret Jesus' command as an absolute prohibition against any form of judgment or discernment.
• Clarifying Judgment: Fr. Mike argues that Jesus isn't forbidding us from assessing right and wrong but is cautioning against hypocritical or condemning judgments.

The Balance Between Judgment and Compassion

Fr. Mike emphasizes that judgment, in the context Jesus intended, involves discernment rather than condemnation. He elaborates:

"Not only does he say, remove the wooden beam from your own eye so that you can help remove the splinter from your brother's eye. That means you have to notice there's a splinter in your brother's eye and you want to help him." ([01:15])

Key Points:

• Self-Examination: Before judging others, one must first examine and rectify their own faults.
• Active Compassion: True judgment involves recognizing others' faults with the intent to help, not to condemn.

Discernment vs. Condemnation

Fr. Mike differentiates between discerning behavior and condemning individuals:

"We have to judge whether or not this is a true prophet, a false prophet. Right?" ([03:20])

Key Points:

• Assessing Actions: Christians are called to evaluate behaviors and teachings to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
• Avoiding Heart Condemnation: While actions can be assessed, Fr. Mike cautions against condemning someone's heart or intentions, as only God truly knows one's heart.

The Importance of Intentional Assessment

Fr. Mike discusses the necessity of assessing situations and individuals thoughtfully:

"Can you explain to me, you said such and such a thing, what did you mean by that? Because it sounded to me like this." ([05:45])

Key Points:

• Curiosity Over Assumptions: Instead of hastily labeling someone as "off the rails," Christians are encouraged to seek understanding and clarity.
• Building Trust: By approaching others with a desire to understand, trust is strengthened, and unjust judgments are avoided.

Practical Application in Community Living

Fr. Mike relates biblical teachings to everyday interactions within communities:

"We say we want to fill the gap with trust." ([07:10])

Key Points:

• Filling the Gap: In situations where someone's behavior seems wrong, the first step should be to trust and seek understanding rather than jumping to conclusions.
• Empathy in Action: Demonstrating genuine care by asking meaningful questions reflects Jesus' teaching to "do to others what you would have them do to you."

Conclusion: Judging with Love and Wisdom

Wrapping up, Fr. Mike reiterates that judgment, when done correctly, is an act of love and discernment:

"We do have to judge actions. But to care enough about a person to call balls and strikes, to care enough about a person to say that behavior, that word was wrong, and to care enough about them to keep asking what's going on?" ([09:30])

Key Points:

• Balanced Judgment: It's essential to assess actions while maintaining compassion and avoiding heart condemnation.
• Faith in Practice: Living out Jesus' teachings involves a delicate balance of discernment, self-examination, and empathetic understanding.

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Notable Quotes

• On Misinterpretation of Judgment:

  "Do not judge lest you be judged. Do not condemn lest you be condemned. I don't think it means what you think it means." ([00:30])

• On Helping Others:

  "Remove the wooden beam from your own eye so that you can help remove the splinter from your brother's eye." ([01:15])

• On Discernment:

  "By their fruits you will know them. That basically says, a good tree bears good fruit and a rotten tree bears rotten fruit." ([02:50])

• On Building Trust:

  "We say we want to fill the gap with trust." ([07:10])

• On Compassionate Judgment:

  "To care enough about a person to call balls and strikes, to care enough about a person to say that behavior, that word was wrong, and to care enough about them to keep asking what's going on?" ([09:30])

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Final Thoughts

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz masterfully navigates the complex topic of judgment, urging listeners to adopt a balanced approach rooted in biblical teachings. By distinguishing between condemnation and compassionate discernment, he provides a framework for Christians to interact thoughtfully and lovingly within their communities. This episode serves as a valuable guide for anyone seeking to understand how to judge appropriately without falling into hypocrisy or harsh condemnation.

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Thank you for reading this summary. For a deeper understanding and more insights, consider listening to the full episode of The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast.

Transcript

[A]

If there is any verse from the Bible, if there's any teaching of Jesus that everyone knows, whether they're Catholic or not, whether they're Christian or not, whether they've even been in a church or not. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension presents. This one is in Matthew, chapter seven, where he says, stop judging that you may not be judged. Jesus, while he said, do not judge lest you be judged. Do not condemn lest you be condemned. I don't think it means what you think it means. When Jesus is saying, do not judge, does he mean we cannot basically call balls and strikes? When Jesus says, do not judge, does he mean that we can't actually say, okay, that behavior is wrong, or that behavior is right? And the answer is no, that's not what Jesus means. Not only does he say, remove the wooden beam from your own eye so that you can help remove the splinter from your brother's eye. That means you have to notice there's a splinter in your brother's eye and you want to help him. So we have that. But in the very same chapter, in the very same teaching, Jesus goes on to say, do not give what is holy to dogs. Do not throw pearls before swine. Well, you have to judge. Or at least another word is, you have to assess, am I throwing pearls before swine? Or am I throwing or giving pearls to someone who actually will receive it? So there's a little bit of assessment going on. In the same chapter, chapter seven, he goes on to say, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves, says, by their fruits you will know them. That basically says, a good tree bears good fruit and a rotten tree bears rotten fruit. This is one of those moments where Jesus is saying, yes, do not judge, do not condemn. But that does not mean we can't call balls and strikes. That does not mean we can't say this behavior is right and this behavior is wrong. In fact, as Christians, we have to. When Jesus says, beware of false prophets, we have to be able to identify who those false prophets are. Right? When Jesus says that by their fruits you'll know them, we have to be able to examine the fruit in order to know, okay, this is a false prophet, or this is false teaching, or this is not the way to live. So again, when Jesus is saying, do not judge, he is not saying that we cannot assess people's behavior. We also first must assess our own behavior. That's what the whole wooden beam in our own eye is we have to first assess our own behavior and we then have to assess others behavior. We have to by the fruit, still know them. We have to judge whether or not this is a true prophet, a false prophet. That's what he is saying. But what must we not do? Well, it's very, very clear. Jesus is saying we ultimately can't judge hearts. What I mean by that is we ultimately can't condemn someone because we can see actions, but we cannot see hearts. So here is a person who maybe is doing the wrong thing. I can see their actions, but I'm in no place to condemn them. Why? Because A, I'm not God, B, because I'm not God. I don't know hearts and so what should I do? So many saints who over the course of the years have talked about what it's like to live in community, what it's like to live with other people. And the first thing they say is, when it comes to the sins of my neighbor or that behavior of my neighbor, we'll say it like that. It's either annoying or it's actually, it seems really wrong. The first thing to do is ask whether they're a person of goodwill or not. We have this phrase here on campus. We say we want to fill the gap with trust. Here is a person's behavior, here's what they said, here's what they did. And it seems like, wow, that is really rude, or that is really wrong. First want to do is, okay, so let's fill the gap with trust. If this person is. This is a person who I can normally trust. Let me fill the gap with trust. There sees a gap here because that behavior, that word they said, seems kind of wrong or seems kind of like off. But maybe we could be encouraged to be curious. Maybe we could be encouraged to say, okay, here's this person. These are the behaviors. Those behaviors are wrong. Those behaviors are evil. Those behaviors hurt other people. Those behaviors go against God's commands. Why are they doing what they're doing? Can you explain to me, you said such and such a thing, what did you mean by that? Because it sounded to me like this. To care enough about them to not just swat them down, but to care enough about them to ask the question, hey, what's going on? How many times has this been in your life where you're maybe telling yourself this story in your mind? You're like, wow, this person is just like off the rails. They're just being so mean. And you stop and ask the question, hey, are you doing okay? And they tell you what's really going on? No, obviously if they're off the rails, their behavior is not okay. But to be curious, to care enough, to be curious, to care enough to ask what's actually going on is in some ways to do what Jesus is really commanding us to do. Because what does Jesus say in this exact same teaching, in this exact same chapter? It's in Matthew, chapter seven. Jesus says, do to others what you would have them do to you. I would want someone to care enough about me when I'm doing something bad, when I'm saying something wrong, to be curious and be like, hey, Father Mike, you said this thing. Did you mean that or is something else going on? That's what I would want someone to do for me. So I believe that's what Jesus is telling me to do for others. Be curious, not just mental. We have to have to be able to say this is right and this is wrong. We may never, we must never judge people, judge hearts, but we do have to judge actions. But to care enough about a person to call balls and strikes, to care enough about a person to say that behavior, that word was wrong, and to care enough about them to keep asking what's going on? That seems to me to be closer to the heart of what Jesus is telling us to do than just saying, well, I can't judge and I'm moving on my way. You know what I'm saying? Anyways, for all of us since we had a century, since my spotlight, Mike, God bless. To care enough about them to. To ask the question, to care enough about them to not just come down with a fly, with a swatter, swat, fly, swat. I don't know.