Today’s Gospel at Mass stresses the parable of two sons: one tells his father he will go out and work in the vineyard, but doesn’t. The other says he won’t, but then ends up ultimately obeying his father.

St. Augustine said, and he would know from personal experience, that “every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”

One great tactic of the enemy is to tell us we are unlovable because of our pasts and to remind us that we are unworthy. Remember, God doesn’t ask us to be worthy. None of us could EVER be worthy. God doesn’t demand the impossible of us, ever. He simply asks us to repent, to come to Him, to accept His mercy, and to strive to walk with Him here and now (and in the future).

With all that is going on in the world, with so much evil, crime, and societal unrest, it can be tempting to judge others. It can be tempting to say “I would never do that! I’m BETTER than that.”

The fact is, we know no one else’s full story. And it’s simply truth to say that given the background someone else has–be he a vicious criminal, a social media narcissist, whatever the case–we might well have turned out worse in their situation.

We simply don’t know. This is what is meant by “There but for the grace of God go I.” And while it very necessary to judge and condemn sinful ACTIONS, we are always called to pray for and to desire the salvation of souls who are trapped in sin.

We are not superior to them. None of us, after all, are made of different stuff than they are.