Matthew 25:31-46
ESUS 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.’... And these will go off to eternal life."
The WORD
God is Love. Our Lenten renewal is a call to mirror more in our words, thoughts, and actions the Love that is God. This divine charity is not to be found in some big acts of loving. God shows us His love in everyday things like the sunlight, the dew, and the flower in the garden. We should then reflect God’s love in talking with love about our neighbor, making kind judgment of others, sharing food and drink with the hungry and the thirsty, visiting the sick, and clothing the naked. It is not easy to see God in the poor and the needy. They often do not strike us as lovable persons; their appearance, their scent, and their behavior may be repugnant for us. But, as Mother Teresa says, "To help and give to the poor without love in our hearts is an insult!"
SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
|
