“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given you ” (Luke 6:36)
We are all aware that there are physical laws governing the universe. The law of gravity, the law that says “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” and so on. It does not matter if you believe and accept these laws or not; they do not depend on your acceptance to operate. Whether or not you believe in the law of gravity will not stop you feeling the effects of its operation if you were to step off the roof of a tall building!
The same is true of spiritual laws. There are spiritual laws that govern the way our lives are run. They are invisible, but no less real for all that. In our gospel today, Jesus sets out some of these laws: see the quotation at the top of this essay. Others are found at different places in the Bible: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land” (Deuteronomy 5: 16) – with the implication that, if you do not honor your father and mother, it will not well with you. Also “As you sow, so shall you reap ” (Galatians 6:7), and “You sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind” (Hosea).
Again, it does not matter whether or not you choose to believe these laws, they will still operate in your life. If you are experiencing negative situations in your life, frustration that things are not going as well as you hoped, or a lack of joy or peace, etc, try looking at these spiritual laws and see if you are in fact transgressing them in some way and reaping the consequences. If so, bring your judgements, lack of forgiveness, etc to the sacrament of reconciliation and receive in return the promise of forgiveness (another spiritual law, see above) and a return of peace and joy in your life.