Word to the Wise
Monday, February 23, 2015 - 1st Week of Lent - Mon
[Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 and Matt 25:31-46]"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 welcomedme, naked and you clothed me, ill and you care for me, in prison and you visited me." [Matthew]
Those who visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome where popes are elected cannot fail to see the dramatic scene painted on the wall behind the altar. It is by Michelangelo and it depicts the scene in today's gospel, the Last Judgment. At the center of the painting is a human figure with a look of horror on his face. He is realizing his failure to see Christ in the least of Christ's brothers and sisters. His fate is everlasting punishment.
It is important to understand that "seeing" here means acting to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, to welcome strangers, to clothe the naked and visit the sick and imprisoned. This is not simply the measure of an individual Christian, but of an entire society. If we ignore the least ones, we can count on a severe judgment. However, I doubt this scene is in the mind of some legislators or other political leaders when they cut funding for helping the least ones.
If we are looking for something to do for Lent, perhaps we could take the list from today's scriptures (including the one from Leviticus) and examine our conscience, open our eyes, and act! AMEN