The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
Reflection: Life’s busyness can distract us from our divine mission, not necessarily because of sin, but simply due to being overwhelmed with earthly things. Additionally, worrying about the past or future makes it hard to focus on the present, yet the present is where comfort, harmony, and love can be found.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains that at the time of judgment, the righteous will be astonished by the fact that caring for those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, ill, or imprisoned was the same as showing love for God. My brothers and sisters, DO NOT take this teaching lightly. The words in this Gospel are very clear and definitive of what will happen to us.
I pray for the day when I can fulfill these requests from Jesus as a second nature and I wouldn’t think twice about it. Here are three real-life examples that occurred to me and can happen to any of us.
- Compassion for the Enemy: I saw a video of dog saving a cat who was drowning in water. Yes … arch enemies but yet the dog sought compassion. The video shows the cat in distress but yet takes a couple of swipes at the dog. The dog continues to help anyway and jumps in the water so the cat can stand on his back and jump to safety. [Click here to see video]
- Compassion for the Desperate: Just this past Wednesday, a young man approached me while I was on my porch. He was definitely homeless and he was desperate and wet from the rain. He didn’t ask me for money, but he asked if he could do some work around the house so he could get some money for food. I didn’t give him work but I gave him the money he needed to buy a lunch.
- Compassion for All: Every day I see these people that Jesus is referring to in the Bible. The sick, the hungry, the naked, the incarcerated, the voiceless and the marginalized. They are all struggling to survive and yet, you never hear them complain. They never blame anyone but themselves. And they all are faithful and hold God close to their hearts. Everyone at Mary’s Mercy Center is doing their best to embrace them and give them the compassion that they deserve. We feed them, give them a shower, cloth them, and give them a place to hang out. Sort of a safe haven. But this isn’t a “check that box off” kind of thing. This is a “What else can I do to help them?” We must see Jesus in every one of them and treat as such.
In your life, who are these “least ones” of which Jesus is speaking? The hungry and thirsty are not the only brothers and sisters with physical needs but also those who have spiritual or mental yearnings that need to be satisfied. They are those lost or confused in life who need to be given direction. Call to mind the person who seems least deserving of your love and know that Jesus is living within them, waiting for you to love Him by loving them.
Action of the Day: Think of those in your life who seem most lost and most in need of your compassion. Those to whom we do not feel like reaching out are those who most often need our compassion and mercy.
Audio Reflection:
