Wash your windows

Often we judge others and events taking place from just one perspective – our own. But there are other perspectives that you should consider when passing a judgment. I shared this story in my homily today, and people liked it – they actually chuckled and smiled, something unusual for congregations in Maltese churches. It has a good message on how we should not criticize others until we had checked all facts and other perspectives.

There was a woman who lived in a block of apartments. She was pretty elderly and did not move much, but she had all the time in the world to sit behind her window and criticize her neighbors. She would tell her husband “I can’t believe how dirty those clothes are hanging on the line. They don’t know how to wash them. Or maybe they ran out of detergent.....” This went on for months, every day, “Why can’t some people wash their clothes properly – they’re always filthy, grey and dirty! I can’t stand them anymore!” Finally one day, she was surprised to see all the clothes sparkling white. And she told her husband “Honey, they finally washed them properly!” And her husband calmed her down by saying, “Darling, there was absolutely nothing wrong with their clothes – they were always white and clean. What happened is that I finally washed our windows – they were dirty, dusty and full of cobwebs!” So, it’s always a matter of perspective – and next time before you judge your neighbours, make sure you wash your windows.