Seeing the Face of Christ in our World--Monday, April 2

Matthew 25:31-40

³¹When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

The problems in the world seem insurmountable.  The headlines in the Sunday Miami Herald spoke of the terrible outbreak of cholera in Haiti; there is political turmoil throughout the Middle East, and now, in our own country, there are heightened racial tensions due to the death of Trayvon Martin.  Chronic issues of poverty and malnutrition in Africa seem intractable, and the gap between rich and poor in our own country is the widest it has been in decades.  Problems…seem so vast…such that our eyes can simply glaze over, and we become immobilized.

Today’s verses argue against such a mindset, for they remind us that while problems might be large and complex, helping our neighbor is not.  Through simple acts of compassion, we can make an impact in our world; what’s more, when we reach out, we are responding to the call of the Lord.  When we see the face of Christ and help anyone in need, we are bringing his love to our hurting world.  Mother Teresa once said, If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.  Don’t wait until you have big solutions in order to serve your neighbor—then, you may never start.  Just go out, and help someone—bring some cans of food to church, or make a Lenten Denial offering.  Donate some items for the White Elephant Sale, or swing a hammer at a Habitat site.  When you do it for the least of these, you do for the Lord.

Pastor Katie

For reflection:

What are some examples of “a neighbor in need” in your local community?  Our country?  Our world?

What is a simple act of kindness that you can take on this week, to enhance your journey through Holy Week?

What does it mean to “inherit the kingdom of God?”