On Complaints and Criticism
Because I will be off to a business meeting tomorrow, I have no idea how much time I may have to blog--usually giving over some time at lunch and before work (the meeting will encompass these times). So I offer this entry and the next in the spirit of providing some food for thought for the day.
from Prayers of Hope, Words of Courage Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van ThuanComplaints and Criticisms
Criticism is easy; it is within everyone's reach. A pessimistic nature easily finds the defects and shortcomings in others. But everyone, without exception, has defects. Even the saints needed a lifetime to become Christ-like, to become perfect "as our heavenly father is perfect"Keeping an account of people's faults is a fruitless task. Not only are you showing your pride and ill will, but you are also wasting your time.
To remember a person's defects is to hold onto the past and to concentrate on that person's worst side, as if no other existed! No one's life is frozen,; everyone is constantly evolving, changing, growing. You must concentrate your entire attention on the present and the future rather than the past. One who has sinned, but who bears his or her past with sorrow may be a saint today or will become one tomorrow. Such a person may make swifter progress on the road toward holiness than me. While I waste my time and strength criticizing and complaining about others, those who seemed to me to be further behind on the road are setting out and moving forward quickly and soon will have gone far beyond me.
