How many times have we read or heard about someone who’s gotten into trouble—maybe even fired from a job—because of a brush with the law? While our “Christian” minds tell us to be sorry and even pray for the person, a little voice inside our heads may also be saying, “I’m glad I would never do anything like that.”

And perhaps we wouldn’t. But are there some things we do that are still not pleasing in God’s eyes? Today’s readings caution us not to look so intently at someone else’s wrongdoing that we overlook our own weaknesses and shortcomings. When we measure ourselves against the worst people we can think of, we come out looking pretty good. There is a danger, however, in using someone else’s behavior as a way of reflecting our own goodness.