Monday of the First Week of Lent
Lectionary: 224
Lectionary: 224
The LORD said to Moses,
"Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
"You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD."
"Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
"You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.
I am the LORD.
"You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD."
Responsorial
PsalmPS 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R. (John 6:63b) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Verse Before
The Gospel2 COR 6:2B
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
behold, now is the day of salvation.
GospelMT 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."
"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."
Meditation: Eternal life versus eternal
punishment
Do you allow the love of God to rule in your heart?
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) said, "Essentially, there are two kinds of
people, because there are two kinds of love. One is holy the other is selfish.
One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him." Jesus came not
only to fulfill the law (Leviticus 19), but to transform it through his
unconditional love and mercy towards us. The Lord Jesus proved his love for us
by offering up his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His
death brings freedom and life for us - freedom from fear, selfishness, and
greed - and new abundant life in the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts with the
love of God (Romans 5:5). Do you allow God's love to purify your heart and
transform your mind to think, act, and love others as Christ has taught through
word and example?
The lesson of separating goats and sheep at the end of
the day
Jesus' description of the Son of Man, a Messianic title which points to the coming of God's anointed Ruler and Judge over the earth (John 5:26-29, Daniel 7:13ff), and his parable about the separation of goats and sheep must have startled his audience. What does the separation of goats and sheep have to do with the Day of Judgement over the earth? In arid dry lands such as Palestine, goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. At nightfall, when the shepherd brought the sheep and goats to their place of rest, he separated them into two groups. Goats by temperament are aggressive, domineering, restless, and territorial. They butt heads with their horns whenever they think someone is intruding on their space.
Jesus' description of the Son of Man, a Messianic title which points to the coming of God's anointed Ruler and Judge over the earth (John 5:26-29, Daniel 7:13ff), and his parable about the separation of goats and sheep must have startled his audience. What does the separation of goats and sheep have to do with the Day of Judgement over the earth? In arid dry lands such as Palestine, goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. At nightfall, when the shepherd brought the sheep and goats to their place of rest, he separated them into two groups. Goats by temperament are aggressive, domineering, restless, and territorial. They butt heads with their horns whenever they think someone is intruding on their space.
Goats came to symbolize evil and the expression
"scape-goat" become a common expression for someone bearing blame or
guilt for others. (See Leviticus 26:20-22 for a description of the ritual
expulsion of a sin-bearing goat on the Day of Atonement.) Jesus took our
guilt and sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross. He payed the price to
set us free from sin and death. Our choice is to either follow and obey him as
Lord and Savior or to be our own master and go our separate way. We cannot
remain neutral or indifferent to the command of Christ. If we do not repent of
our sins and obey the Gospel we cannot be disciples and inherit his kingdom.
Separation is inevitable because one way leads to sin, rebellion, and death and
the other way leads to faith, hope, and love that lasts forever.
Love of God frees us from inordinate love
of self
The parable of the goats and sheep has a similar endpoint with the parable of the rich man who refused to give any help to the poor man Lazarus who begged daily at the rich man's doorstep (Luke 16:19-31). Although Lazarus lacked what he need, he nonetheless put his hope in God. The rich man was a lover of wealth rather than a lover of God and neighbor. When Lazarus died he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom to receive his reward in heaven. When the rich man died his fortunes were reversed and he was cast into the unquenchable fires of hell to receive his just desserts. The parable emphasizes the great chasm and wall of separation between the former rich man held now bound as a poor and miserable prisoner in hell and Lazarus clothed in royal garments feasting at God's banquet table in heaven.
The day of God's judgment will disclose which kind of love we chose in this present life - a holy unselfish love directed to God and to the welfare of our neighbor or a disordered selfish love that put self above God and everyone else.
When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier who had been reluctant to embrace the Christian faith, met a poor beggar on the road who had no clothes to warm himself in the freezing cold, Martin took pity on him. He immediately got off his horse and cut his cloak in two and then gave half to the stranger. That night Martin dreamt he saw a vision of Jesus in heaven robed in a torn cloak just like the one he gave away that day to the beggar. One of the angels next to Jesus asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin's disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision "Martin flew to be baptized" to be united with Jesus and the members of his body - the body of Christ on earth and the communion of angels and saints in heaven.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "Christ is at once above and below - above in Himself, below in his people. Fear Christ above, and recognize him below. Here he is poor, with and in the poor; there he is rich, with and in God. Have Christ above bestowing his bounty; recognize him here in his need" (excerpt from Sermon 123, 44).
On the day of judgment Jesus will ask "whom did you love"?
When the Lord Jesus comes again as Judge and Ruler over all, he will ask each one of us face to face - did you love me and my Father in heaven above all else and did you love your neighbor as yourself? Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the merciful Savior who gave his life for us. And let us ask him to make our faith and courage strong, our trust and hope secure, and our love and compassion overflowing with joy.
"Lord Jesus, be the Master and Ruler of my life. May your love rule in my heart that I may only think, act, and speak with charity and good will for all."
The parable of the goats and sheep has a similar endpoint with the parable of the rich man who refused to give any help to the poor man Lazarus who begged daily at the rich man's doorstep (Luke 16:19-31). Although Lazarus lacked what he need, he nonetheless put his hope in God. The rich man was a lover of wealth rather than a lover of God and neighbor. When Lazarus died he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom to receive his reward in heaven. When the rich man died his fortunes were reversed and he was cast into the unquenchable fires of hell to receive his just desserts. The parable emphasizes the great chasm and wall of separation between the former rich man held now bound as a poor and miserable prisoner in hell and Lazarus clothed in royal garments feasting at God's banquet table in heaven.
The day of God's judgment will disclose which kind of love we chose in this present life - a holy unselfish love directed to God and to the welfare of our neighbor or a disordered selfish love that put self above God and everyone else.
When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier who had been reluctant to embrace the Christian faith, met a poor beggar on the road who had no clothes to warm himself in the freezing cold, Martin took pity on him. He immediately got off his horse and cut his cloak in two and then gave half to the stranger. That night Martin dreamt he saw a vision of Jesus in heaven robed in a torn cloak just like the one he gave away that day to the beggar. One of the angels next to Jesus asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin's disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision "Martin flew to be baptized" to be united with Jesus and the members of his body - the body of Christ on earth and the communion of angels and saints in heaven.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "Christ is at once above and below - above in Himself, below in his people. Fear Christ above, and recognize him below. Here he is poor, with and in the poor; there he is rich, with and in God. Have Christ above bestowing his bounty; recognize him here in his need" (excerpt from Sermon 123, 44).
On the day of judgment Jesus will ask "whom did you love"?
When the Lord Jesus comes again as Judge and Ruler over all, he will ask each one of us face to face - did you love me and my Father in heaven above all else and did you love your neighbor as yourself? Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the merciful Savior who gave his life for us. And let us ask him to make our faith and courage strong, our trust and hope secure, and our love and compassion overflowing with joy.
"Lord Jesus, be the Master and Ruler of my life. May your love rule in my heart that I may only think, act, and speak with charity and good will for all."
A Daily Quote from the early church
fathers: Gathering and Separating, by an anonymous early author from
the Greek church
"And he will separate them one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." So then, people on earth are
intermingled, and not only intermingled in that the righteous live side by side
with the wicked, but they are also indistinguishable. Between the righteous and
the wicked there is no apparent difference. Even as in wintertime you cannot
tell the healthy trees apart from the withered trees but in beautiful
springtime you can tell the difference, so too each person according to his faith
and his works will be exposed. The wicked will not have any leaves or show any
fruit, but the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and
adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the
heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their
type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul. The sheep
signify righteous people by reason of their gentleness, because they harm no
one, and by reason of their patience, because when they are harmed by others,
they bear it without resistance. He refers to sinners as goats, however,
because these vices characterize goats - capriciousness toward other animals,
pride and belligerence." (excerpt
from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 54, the Greek fathers).
MONDAY, MARCH 6, MATTHEW 25:31-46
Lenten Weekday
(Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Psalm 19)
Lenten Weekday
(Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father" (v 34).
TO KNOW: Jesus' last discourse in Matthew's gospel provides an illustration of those who were either blessed or chastised at the final judgment. Jesus' picture was drawn from the sheep and goats that were pastured together during the day and separated at nightfall. He said that the favored "sheep," those who would inherit God's reign, would be placed at his right hand (the place of authority) of God; however, the "goats" would be punished for having failed to heed God's commands. The criteria that Jesus used for this sorting out the sheep and goats was the corporal works of mercy shown to the poor, alienated, sick and oppressed. Christians who recognized the suffering Christ in the world's unfortunate ones would be eternally blessed by God. St. John of the Cross wrote: "When the evening of this life comes, we will be judged on how we love."
TO LOVE: What works of mercy do I plan to do this Lent?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to see you in all those in need.
Monday 6 March 2017
Mon 6th. St Colette.
Lv 19:1-2,11-18; Mt 25:31-46
In this special Lenten series – Darkness to
light: An intimate journey with Jesus – our guest writer
looks to the Gospel stories for answers to the questions that many of us ask
when faced with difficult times.
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed
you, or thirsty and give you drink?'
The mystery of Lent is the mystery of
suffering and loss.
I am losing what is most precious to me, and yet at the same time I am learning more about how much I can love.
I learn to understand – slowly and grudgingly – that God is in absolute solidarity with us in suffering. To be human is to be finite: we are not gods, even though we sometimes carry on like gods.
And when we lose everything we discover who we truly are: naked, vulnerable, dependent. We realise we need a God. And now Jesus embraces the totality of human suffering.
This is divine work and divine love. It makes us more human, more connected, more open to the divine mystery.
It offers a glimmer of hope ... but there are so many days I am yet to endure.
I am losing what is most precious to me, and yet at the same time I am learning more about how much I can love.
I learn to understand – slowly and grudgingly – that God is in absolute solidarity with us in suffering. To be human is to be finite: we are not gods, even though we sometimes carry on like gods.
And when we lose everything we discover who we truly are: naked, vulnerable, dependent. We realise we need a God. And now Jesus embraces the totality of human suffering.
This is divine work and divine love. It makes us more human, more connected, more open to the divine mystery.
It offers a glimmer of hope ... but there are so many days I am yet to endure.
ST. KATHARINE DREXEL
On March 3, the universal Church celebrates the feast of St.
Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who abandoned her family’s fortune to
found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the impoverished African
American and American Indian populations of the United States.
Katharine was born November 26, 1858, into a wealthy and
well-connected banking family. The family's wealth, however, did not prevent
them from living out a serious commitment to their faith.
Her mother opened up the family house three times a week to feed
and care for the poor, and her father had a deep personal prayer life. Both
parents encouraged their daughters to think of the family's wealth not as their
own, but as a gift from God which was to be used to help others.
During the summer months, Katharine and her sisters would teach
catechism classes to the children of the workers on her family’s summer estate.
The practice would prepare her for a life of service, with a strong focus on
education and attention to the poor and vulnerable.
While traveling with her family through the Western U.S.,
Katharine witnessed the poor living conditions of the Native Americans.
Eventually, while still a laywoman, she would give much of her own money to
fund the missions and schools in these seriously deprived areas.
Eventually, however, the young heiress would give more than just
funding to these much-needed missions and schools. She would decide to devote
her whole life to the social and spiritual development of black and American
Indian communities.
The inspiration for this work came to her during a visit to Rome,
where she was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII. During that time,
Katharine had been considering a vocation to cloistered contemplative life as a
nun. But when she asked Pope Leo XIII to send missionaries to Wyoming, he told
Katharine she should undertake the work herself.
In February of 1891, she made her first vows in religious life –
formally renouncing her fortune and her personal freedom, for the sake of
growing closer to God in solidarity with the victims of injustice.
Although African-Americans had been freed from slavery, they
continued to suffer serious abuse, and were often prevented from obtaining even
a basic education. Much the same situation held in the case of the native
American Indians, who had been forcibly moved into reservations over the course
of the 19th century.
Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, for the
purpose of living with these communities while helping them acquire education
and grow in faith.
Between 1891 and 1935 she led her order in the founding and
maintenance of almost 60 schools and missions, located primarily in the
American West and Southwest. Among the prominent achievements of Drexel and her
order is New Orleans' Xavier University, the only historically black Catholic
college in the U.S.
Katharine was forced into retirement for the last 20 years of her
life after she suffered a severe heart attack. Although she was no longer able
to lead her order, she left the sisters with her charism of love and concern
for the missions.
She died on March 3, 1955 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II
on October 1, 2000.
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 25,31-46
Lectio Divina:
Monday, March 6, 2017
Lent Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord, holy God, loving Father,
you give us the task to love one another
because you are holy
and you have loved us before we could love you.
Give us the ability to recognize your Son
in our brothers and sisters far and near.
Make us witnesses that love exists and is alive
and that you, the God of love,
exist and are alive now for ever.
you give us the task to love one another
because you are holy
and you have loved us before we could love you.
Give us the ability to recognize your Son
in our brothers and sisters far and near.
Make us witnesses that love exists and is alive
and that you, the God of love,
exist and are alive now for ever.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
25, 31-46
'When the Son of man comes in his glory,
escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory.
All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from
another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on
his right hand and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his
right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage
the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a
stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and
you visited me, in prison and you came to see me."
Then the upright will say to him in
reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give
you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes
and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?"
And the King will answer, "In truth
I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did it to me." Then he will say to those on his left hand,
"Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I
was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink, I was a stranger and you
never made me welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in
prison and you never visited me." Then it will be their turn to ask,
"Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking
clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?" Then he will
answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one
of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me." And they will go
away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.'
3) REFLECTION
• The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus,
the New Messiah. Like Moses, Jesus also promulgates the Law of God. As the
Ancient Law, the new one, given by Jesus, also contains five books or
discourses. The Sermon on the Mountain (Mt 5, 1 to 7, 27), the first discourse
opens with eight Beatitudes. The discourse on vigilance (Mt 24, 1 to 25, 46),
the fifth discourse, contains the description of the Last Judgment. The
Beatitudes describe the door of entrance into the Kingdom, enumerating eight
categories of persons: the poor in spirit, the meek, the afflicted, those who
hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers
and the persecuted because of justice (Mt 5, 3-10). The parable of the Last
Judgment tells us what we should do in order to possess the Kingdom: accept the
hungry, the thirsty, the foreigners, the naked, the sick and the prisoners (Mt
25, 35-36): At the beginning as well as at the end of the New Law, there are
the excluded and the marginalized.
• Matthew 25, 31-33: Opening of the Last
Judgment. The Son of Man gathers together around him the nations of the world.
He separates the persons as the shepherd does with the sheep and the goats. The
shepherd knows how to discern. He does not make a mistake; sheep on the right,
goats on the left. Jesus does not make a mistake. Jesus does not judge nor
condemn. (cfr. Jn 3, 17; 12, 47). He hardly separates. It is the person
himself/herself who judges and condemns because of the way in which he/she
behaves toward the little ones and the excluded.
• Matthew 25, 34-36: The sentence for
those who are at the right hand of the Judge. Those who are at the right hand
of the judge are called “Blessed of my Father!”, that is, they receive the
blessing which God promised to Abraham and to his descendants (Gen 12, 3). They
are invited to take possession of the Kingdom, prepared for them from the
foundation of the world. The reason for the sentence is the following: “I was
hungry, a foreigner, naked, sick and prisoner, and you accepted me and helped
me!” This sentence makes us understand who are the sheep. They are the persons
who accepted the Judge when he was hungry, thirsty, a foreigner, naked, sick
and prisoner. And because of the way of speaking “my Father” and “the Son of
Man”, we can know that the Judge is precisely Jesus Himself . He identifies
himself with the little ones!
• Matthew 25, 37-40: A request for
clarification and the response of the Judge: Those who accept the excluded are
called “just”. That means that the justice of the Kingdom is not attained by
observing norms and prescriptions, but rather by accepting those in need. But
it is strange that the just do not even know themselves when they accepted
Jesus in need. And Jesus responds: “Every time that you have done this to one
of my brothers, you have done it to me”. Who are these little brothers of
mine?” In other passages of the Gospel of Matthew, the expression “my brothers”
and “the smallest brothers” indicates the disciples (Mt 10, 42; 12, 48-50; 18,
6.10.14; 28, 10). This also indicates the members of the community who are more
abandoned and neglected who have no place and are not well received (Mt 10,
40). Jesus identifies himself with them. But not only this. In the broader
context of the last parable, the expression “my smallest brothers” is extended
and includes all those who have no place in society. It indicates all the poor.
And the “just” and the “blessed by my Father” are all the persons from all
nations who accept, welcome others with total gratuity, independently of the
fact that they are Christians or not.
• Matthew 25, 41-43: The sentence for
those who were at the left hand side. Those who were on the other side of the
Judge are called “cursed” and they are destined to go to the eternal fire,
prepared by the devil and his friends. Jesus uses a symbolical language common
at that time to say that these persons will not enter into the Kingdom. And
here, also, the reason is only one: they did not accept, welcome Jesus hungry,
thirsty, a foreigner, naked, sick and prisoner. It is not that Jesus prevents
them from entering into the Kingdom, rather it is our way of acting, that is
our blindness which prevents us from seeing Jesus in the little ones.
• Matthew 25, 44-46: A request for
clarification and the response of the Judge. The request for clarification
indicates that it is a question of people who have behaved well, persons who
have their conscience in peace. They are certain to have always practiced what
God asked from them. For this reason they were surprised when the Judge says
that they did not accept him, did not welcome him. The Judge responds: “Every
time that you have not done these things to one of my brothers, the little
ones, you did not do it to me”. It is the omission! They did not do anything
extra. They only missed practicing good towards the little ones and the
excluded. This is the way the fifth Book of the New Law ends!
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• What struck you the most in this
parable of the Last Judgment?
• Stop and think: if the Last Judgment
would take place today, would you be on the side of the sheep or on the side of
the goats?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
The precepts of Yahweh are honest,
joy for the heart;
the commandment of Yahweh is pure,
light for the eyes. (Ps 19,8)
joy for the heart;
the commandment of Yahweh is pure,
light for the eyes. (Ps 19,8)
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