Reflection for February 24,2021

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-40

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? ' 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 one 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 the least ones, you did not do for me. ' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

Laudato Si #156 and 158

156: Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics. The common good is, 'the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.'

158: In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitability, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters. This option entails recognizing the implications of the universal destination of the world's goods, but, as I mentioned in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, it demands before all else an appreciation of the immense dignity of the poor in the light of our deepest convictions as believers.

We need only look around us to see that, today, this option is in fact and ethical imperative essential for effectively attaining the common good.

Meditation:

Years ago, I remember reading a book called something like: Everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten. This book dealt with the basics: you need to be able to work and play well with others, you need to stay with a partner when you are walking outside, you need to learn to share what you have with others. It made a big impression on me at the time and it still rings true today.

In order for people to survive they need the basics-food, water, clothing, housing, to be considered part of the group, to be cared for and cared about. This wonderful reading from Matthew reminds us that we are responsible for helping to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. As St. Theresa says, we are God's hands and feet. It is our job to see to it that the earth's goods are distributed fairly, so that each group or individual has what they need to survive. It is not a theological or mental exercise, but rather a concrete action that ensures the well being of all of God's creation. And, it has been entrusted to us!

Prayer: Lord make me aware of the needs of others. Incline my heart to be generous, open and inclusive of all. Give me the grace of being able to help others in whatever way I can and give me gratitude for all that I have received in my life from you and others. Amen.

Action: look around for how you can meet the concrete needs of others ( food pantries, gift cards, etc.) and do something.