Mgr Kieran Heskin, Sacred Heart Church, Ilkley

A plane landed to refuel during a long flight. The pilot announced that there would be an hour’s stop and that this would provide everyone with enough time to disembark and have a break. All the passengers were delighted to get off the plane. Only one man stayed behind: he happened to be blind.

As the pilot walked through the plane, he stopped to talk to the blind man and to assure him that if he wished to get off the plane, they would not leave without him. The blind man said that he would prefer to stay where he was but, if it were possible, he would appreciate someone taking his guide dog for a walk. The pilot, a dog lover, was delighted to oblige.

A few moments later, the passengers, who were in a nearby lounge, within sight of the plane, to their horror saw their pilot walking down the steps of the plane apparently depending on a guide dog. He also happened to be wearing dark sun glasses. They were not amused. The ground staff were soon surrounded by a large number of panicking passengers.

It’s so easy to jump to conclusions and to justify our conclusions by saying “I saw it with my own eyes”. In the above incident, the blind man had a clearer vision of what was happening than did those who thought they had such a good view of everything from the airport lounge.

God has given us not only sight but also hearing, speech and intelligence to assess situations. And even with the help of all of these, we can still get things very wrong.

The invitation to the wedding may have been declined, not because they are “an odd lot”: they may be short of money. The person at the other end of the phone may not be “a cold fish” who doesn’t deserve a phone call: they may be very anxious about something they do not wish to talk about. The friend who crosses the street may not be crossing to avoid me personally: they may be avoiding the heartbreak of telling anyone they know that they have hit hard times.

With regard to judging others, Jesus advises us to leave it to God (Mt. 7.1): God is not only more capable but more merciful and magnanimous too.