Jesus' healing of a woman on the Sabbath angered the ruler of the synagogue. He told the people that they could come and be healed on the other six days, but never on the Sabbath.

This was such an outrageous order that Jesus was indignant. "Hypocrites", He called them, and accused them of practising double standards.

We, too, are very good at using double standards. We have no difficulty criticizing others for the same faults that we excuse ourselves from. We derive satisfaction from condemning others for trivial failures, while ignoring many greater shortcoming of our own. And if somebody has done us a wrong, we find it so painful to forgive.

Yet St Paul says we must "get rid of all bitterness, passion and anger ¡K forgiving one another as God has forgiven you through Christ" (Eph. 4:31-32).

He gives us the reason: "You must try to be like God." That is a tall order, yet Paul is only repeating our Lord's words, "Be perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect," (Mt. 5:48). Of course we may not fully succeed: only God is like God. But we must make some attempt at least to be more tolerant of others, as God is with us.