Word to the Wise
Monday, February 27, 2023 - 1st Week of Lent - Mon
[Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 and Matt 25:31-46]"'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 in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" [Matthew]
I cannot read this passage from the Gospel According to Matthew without thinking of Michelangelo's rendition of the scene on the wall behind the altar in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. There is a naked and horrified figure in the center of the scene representing anyone who realizes how blind he or she has been and what the consequences are of failing to "see" Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the imprisoned and the sick and failing to help them. There are many times when I wish this passage could be read in the political halls of our country!
But before we point the finger at politicians, it may be necessary to point the finger at ourselves. What does it take to "see" Jesus in those with whom he identifies himself in the scene? I also think of the story of St. Pau's conversion when the voice on the road responds to Paul's question, "Who are you, sir?" The reply is "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!"
An editor in a Catholic magazine once related the story of his visit to one of his former professors in college in the faculty lounge. A very agitated student came to the door and interrupted the conversation. When the professor returned, the editor asked what that was all about. The professor, a Jesuit priest, responded, "Oh, it was our Lord in one of his less recognizable forms!" Lent offers us an opportunity to examine our moral sense of sight and how we are called to act, not only in an individual capacity, but also in a collective way locally, state- and nationwide fashion. The Gospel According to Matthew and Michelangelo's painting can serve as a reminder of the consequences of our failure to do so. AMEN