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.
“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 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 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.
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.”
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
Psalm19:8, 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 of righteousness (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 the Lord Jesus 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 God's 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 God's 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 paid the price to set us free from sin and death. Our
choice is either to follow and obey him as our Lord and Savior or to be our own
master and go our own separate way apart from God's way of truth and
righteousness (moral goodness). We cannot remain neutral or indifferent to the
commands of Christ. If we do not repent of our wrongdoing (our sins and
offenses against God and neighbor) and obey the Gospel we cannot be disciples
of the Lord Jesus nor inherit his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy.
Separation of the good from the bad is inevitable because one way leads to sin,
rebellion, and death and the other way leads to purification, peace, and
everlasting life with God.
Love
of God frees us from inordinate love of self
The parable of the goats and sheep has a similar endpoint as 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 was poor and lacked what he needed, he nonetheless put his hope in God and the promise of everlasting life in God's kingdom. 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 the kingdom of heaven.
The day of God's righteous 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 and selfish love that puts oneself above God and the good of our neighbor.
When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier who had been reluctant to fully commit his life to Christ and be baptized as a Christian, 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 give his life fully to Christ as a member of his people - the body of Christ on earth and the communion of saints and angels 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 call each one of us to stand before his seat of judgment to answer the question - who did you love and put first in this life? Inordinate love of self crowds out love of God and love of neighbor. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and follow his way of love and righteousness will not be disappointed. They will receive the just reward - life and peace with God in his everlasting kingdom.
If we entrust our lives to the Lord Jesus today, and allow his Holy Spirit to purify our hearts and minds, then he will give us the grace, strength, and freedom to walk and live each day in the power of his merciful love and goodness. Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the merciful Savior who gave his life for us. And let us ask the Lord Jesus to increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and enkindle in us the fire of his merciful love and compassion for all.
"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 as 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 was poor and lacked what he needed, he nonetheless put his hope in God and the promise of everlasting life in God's kingdom. 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 the kingdom of heaven.
The day of God's righteous 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 and selfish love that puts oneself above God and the good of our neighbor.
When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier who had been reluctant to fully commit his life to Christ and be baptized as a Christian, 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 give his life fully to Christ as a member of his people - the body of Christ on earth and the communion of saints and angels 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 call each one of us to stand before his seat of judgment to answer the question - who did you love and put first in this life? Inordinate love of self crowds out love of God and love of neighbor. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and follow his way of love and righteousness will not be disappointed. They will receive the just reward - life and peace with God in his everlasting kingdom.
If we entrust our lives to the Lord Jesus today, and allow his Holy Spirit to purify our hearts and minds, then he will give us the grace, strength, and freedom to walk and live each day in the power of his merciful love and goodness. Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the merciful Savior who gave his life for us. And let us ask the Lord Jesus to increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and enkindle in us the fire of his merciful love and compassion for all.
"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 2, 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 the right hand of God (the place of authority); however, the "goats" would be punished for having failed to heed God's commands. Those who have done good deeds for “these least brothers of mine” (v. 40) will be blessed (vs. 34–40), but those who have failed to do good deeds for “these least ones” (v. 45) will be condemned (vs. 41–46). The criteria that Jesus used for this sorting them out was the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, offering hospitality to the homeless, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, and visiting the imprisoned. 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 2 March 2020
Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18. Your words, Lord, are Spirit
and life – Psalm 18(19):8-10, 15. Matthew 25:31-46.
I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me
Today’s readings both speak of our moral duties and provide a
timely basis for a seasonal examination of conscience. As we commence this
period of penance which prepares us for the Holy Triduum we are well advised to
take these extremely challenging readings to heart and allow them to illuminate
any lapses or omissions in our lives. The weak points brought to the surface in
this reflection may then help to guide the penances and works of mercy that we
might take on in Lent. All of us, reading Our Lord’s words, will likely feel
their terrible weight and perhaps feel a little of the ‘fear and trembling’
that they evoke. Still, we can take comfort in that he who will sit on the
throne when all is told also hung upon the Cross for love of us.
Saint Agnes of Bohemia
Saint of the Day for March 2
(1205 – March 6, 1282)
Saint Agnes of Bohemia’s Story
Agnes had no children of her own but was certainly life-giving
for all who knew her.
Agnes was the daughter of Queen Constance and King Ottokar I of
Bohemia. She was betrothed to the Duke of Silesia, who died three years later.
As she grew up, she decided she wanted to enter the religious life.
After declining marriages to King Henry VII of Germany and King
Henry III of England, Agnes was faced with a proposal from Frederick II, the
Holy Roman Emperor. She appealed to Pope Gregory IX for help. The pope was
persuasive; Frederick magnanimously said that he could not be offended if Agnes
preferred the King of Heaven to him.
After Agnes built a hospital for the poor and a residence for
the friars, she financed the construction of a Poor Clare monastery in Prague.
In 1236, she and seven other noblewomen entered this monastery.
Saint Clare sent five sisters from San Damiano to join them, and wrote
Agnes four letters advising her on the beauty of her vocation and her duties as
abbess.
Agnes became known for prayer, obedience and mortification.
Papal pressure forced her to accept her election as abbess, nevertheless, the
title she preferred was “senior sister.” Her position did not prevent her from
cooking for the other sisters and mending the clothes of lepers. The sisters
found her kind but very strict regarding the observance of poverty; she
declined her royal brother’s offer to set up an endowment for the monastery.
Devotion to Agnes arose soon after her death on March 6, 1282.
She was canonized in 1989.
Reflection
Agnes spent at least 45 years in a Poor Clare monastery. Such a
life requires a great deal of patience and charity. The temptation to
selfishness certainly didn’t vanish when Agnes walked into the monastery. It is
perhaps easy for us to think that cloistered nuns “have it made” regarding
holiness. Their route is the same as ours: gradual exchange of our
standards—inclinations to selfishness—for God’s standard of generosity.
Lectio Divina: Matthew 25:31-46
Lectio Divina
Monday, March 2, 2020
Season of Lent
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
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."
3) REFLECTION
The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the New Messiah. Like
Moses, Jesus also promulgates the Law of God. As with 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 2:4, 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 people: 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 people 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 does not separate alone. 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. Because of the way of
speaking about 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. 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” indicates the disciples (Mt
12:48-50; 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. 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. The just and the blessed
by my Father are all the persons from all nations who accept and 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 symbolic language common at that time to say that these
persons will not enter into the Kingdom. And here, also, their is only one
reason: they did not accept or welcome Jesus as one who is hungry, thirsty, a
foreigner, naked, sick and/or a 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, people 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!
In the saints and Church Fathers we have a lot to learn about
virtues and vices. It is not enough to just avoid vice, or sin, but to also
work toward attaining virtue and virtuous behavior. To do no harm is not the
same as to help. This is what we are called to do: to not just avoid doing
wrong or harm, but to go out of our way to do good as well.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
What struck you the most in this parable of the Last Judgment?
Do I focus my life more on avoiding harm or on doing good for others?
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?
Do I focus my life more on avoiding harm or on doing good for others?
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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