So often when disaster overtakes us, we look back and see all the warning signs that were present. It seems so clear now! A peculiar sort of blindness prevents us from seeing the signs in time to change our way of life. In the first reading the Assyrians have laid waste to the land and have conquered Samaria. The author makes it clear that many prophets warned the people but were not heeded. It is so important that we listen to feedback from others, even those with whom we do not agree. It is too easy to dismiss those who make us feel uneasy or point out things that we would rather ignore.

There is an old saying regarding our tendency to find fault with others: If you spot it, you've got it! We see and despise our faults when we see them in others, but often remain unaware that we are also in need of healing. We should always look within ourselves when someone sets us off. Other people are not the problem; we are. Jesus tells us not to judge - not because it isn't nice, but because most of the time we are dead wrong! When we judge another, we presume to understand who they are and why they behave as they do. We can say that a certain type of behavior is harmful to others, but let us withhold value judgments about the individuals involved. When we are compassionate and non-judgmental towards others, we are transformed in the process. We will find that the world is a far kinder place than we had imagined.