10th March2014 Daily Reading & Meditation Reading : Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18; Psalm 19:8-10, 14 ; Matthew 25:31-46 Lord, when did we see you hungry? Reflection : Matthew 25:31-46 Both of today’s readings deal with the way we ought to behave towards each other. The First Reading tells us the kinds of things we ought not to do while the Gospel emphasises more what we should be doing. The Gospel is the great scene of the Last Judgment when all will face their Lord Jesus. We will be divided into sheep and goats – those who are with Jesus and those who are not. The test will be very simple. Did we love all our brothers and sisters or not. The things we are supposed to do are so simple: give food to Jesus hungry and drink to Jesus thirsty; to clothe Jesus naked; to visit Jesus sick and Jesus in jail. We might ask: “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick or in prison?” And the Judge will answer: “In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me.” Whether we realise it or not, every time we spontaneously take care of a brother or sister in need it is Jesus himself we are serving. ‘You did it TO me’, not FOR me. Jesus identifies himself especially with the person in need. Every time we neglect to help a brother or sister in need, we neglect Jesus himself. Our worst sins, our most dangerous sins will be our sins of omission. We can keep the 10 Commandments perfectly and still fail here. The next time we examine our conscience let us think about that Jesus parable of the separation of goats and sheep invites his audience to consider their lives in view of the age to come (Matthew 25:31-46). What happens when you put sheep and goats together? Jesus audience readily understood the need for separating the two. In arid lands, like Israel, 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. Whats the point of this story for us? What about the life to come after our death? The kind of life we choose to live now and the moral choices we make will have consequences that determine our future - for better or for worse. Separation is an inevitable consequence of judgement. The Day of Judgement will reveal who had true faith in God and who lived according to Gods command to love him first above all else and to love ones neighbor as oneself, with true compassion and mercy (see Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18). God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for unending life and happiness - but a life of unending happiness can only be fulfilled in him. While death claims each of us at the appointed time, God gives us something which physical death cannot touch - his own divine life (2 Peter 1:3-4) and the sustaining power of his Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11). The Day of the Lord will reveal what kind of life we have chosen for the age to come - a life of peace and joy with God or a life of misery and separation apart from God. When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, Master, why do you wear that battered cloak? Jesus replied, My servant Martin gave it to me. Martins disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin flew to be baptized. The scriptures present us with the choice between two kingdoms - the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The choice is ours. Which kingdom do you serve? Gods kingdom lasts forever because it is built on the foundation of Gods love and justice. To accept Jesus as Lord and King is to enter a kingdom that will last forever where righteousness, love, truth, and peace dwell. Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Lord and King and there is no other. May your love rule in my heart that I may think and act with charity towards all. Psalm 19:8-10, 14 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. ****** Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 31 When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. 11 You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.12 And you shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 13 You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD. 15 You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. 17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 01:28:52 +0000
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