903. Is it wrong to study other people’s faults?
“To do so merely for the sake of criticizing or exposing them is wrong, because it demonstrates a lack of charity. To do so for your own benefit to avoid replicating those flaws may sometimes be useful but you must not forget that understanding the faults of others is one of the elements of charity. Before criticizing others for their flaws, you should look at yourself and see if others could criticize you for the same faults. The only way to profit by such a critical examination of other’s faults is by trying to acquire the opposite virtues. Are those you criticize cheap? Be generous. Are they proud? Be humble and modest. Are they callous? Be gentle. Are they cruel and petty? Be great in everything that you do. Basically, act in such a way so that it may not be said of you, in Jesus’ words, that you ‘see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not see the beam in your own.’”
