Day 5: Being Less Judgemental

Five days into Lent, the journey deepens. Today we reflect on being less judgmental: guarding our hearts against quick judgments of others’ actions or motives, practicing compassion by remembering our own constant need for God’s mercy, replacing criticism with understanding and silent prayer for those around us. In humility, we strive to see Christ in every person we encounter and to foster greater charity this Lent.

This call to mercy and non-judgment flows naturally from the spiritual fruit of fasting. One pronounced effect of fasting is hunger. The Synoptic Gospels tell us that after fasting forty days in the desert, Jesus was hungry—and in that very moment of physical hunger, He faced temptation (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). Hunger is a natural signal that our bodies need nourishment. Yet when we indulge appetites excessively, they grow demanding, craving more than we truly require. Balanced hunger, however, reveals a genuine lack and motivates us to satisfy it rightly.

Physical hunger carries profound spiritual power. When we temporarily deprive the body of food, that emptiness sharpens our awareness of the deeper spiritual hunger within the soul: a longing for God that never fully ceases in this life. We can never get enough of Him here below. Too often, though, we mask this spiritual hunger by overindulging bodily desires until the soul’s cry grows faint and unnoticed. Fasting lifts the veil: as physical hunger becomes more palpable, the light shines more clearly on our spiritual longing for union with God.

Fasting, then, is never an end in itself, nor merely a fulfillment of Church obligations on certain days. Ideally, it becomes a regular habit—even weekly—throughout the year, but especially during Lent, to keep us mindful of the emptiness that only God can fill. Every penitential practice, including fasting, purifies disordered bodily desires so that spiritual desires rise to the surface. Only when we perceive this inner hunger can we open ourselves to God as the One who truly satisfies.

How does this connect to being less judgmental? Physical and spiritual hunger teach humility. When we feel our own emptiness; whether bodily or in the soul, we are reminded of our poverty before God, our dependence on His mercy, our need for grace. In that humility, it becomes harder to look down on others. We recognize that every person carries the same deep hunger, the same longing for God, even if expressed imperfectly or hidden beneath sin or struggle. Judging others harshly often springs from a heart that has forgotten its own neediness, from a soul that has covered over its hunger with pride or self-sufficiency.

Fasting humbles us by making us feel our limits. It softens the heart, opening it to compassion. Instead of quick criticism, we are moved to silent prayer for others, seeing in them the same image of Christ that we bear, the same dignity, the same thirst for divine love. We remember Jesus’ words: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1), and we recall how He, though sinless, entered into our hunger and weakness to redeem us. In imitating His humility, we grow in charity, choosing understanding over condemnation.

Ponder Jesus’ hunger in the desert. Though always perfectly one with the Father, He allowed His human nature to experience physical deprivation so that fasting might be infused with divine grace and reveal its spiritual benefit. Let that same grace work in you. Commit to fasting—not only from food, but from hasty judgments—as a way to perceive more clearly your hunger for God and to extend mercy to others who hunger as well.

Let us pray: My penitential Lord, though You were perfect and ever united with the Father, You embraced hunger in the desert to show us the grace of self-denial. Grant me the resolve to form habits of fasting and humility, so that I may more clearly feel my spiritual longing for You and recognize the same longing in every person I meet. Help me guard my heart against judgment, replace criticism with compassion, and see Christ in others. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.