Word to the Wise
Monday, February 19, 2024 - 1st Week of Lent - Mon
[Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 and Matt 25:31-46]"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.'" [Matthew]
The scene depicted by Jesus in the parable of the Last Judgment is dramatically presented in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on the back wall behind the altar. It was painted by MIchelangelo between 1536 and 1541. In the center of that scene is a naked figure who is horrified by the realization that he had not "seen" and "did." The scene is a challenge to examine one's conscience both individually and corporately. Are we "seeing" the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick and the imprisoned and responding to their needs? Do we "see" Christ in them or do we try to legislate them away. Do we respond like the disciples to the Syro-Phoenician woman and ask Jesus to send them away because they keep calling after us? How do the political and social responses of our nation to migrants and the homeless fit into this picture?
If the broad picture is too much to ponder, what are WE as individuals seeing and doing? Are we more concerned with defending and protecting our food, drink, clothing, time schedules - our standard of living? We can put the Bible down and try to forget the parable, but the parable is living in front of us. As the figure in the scene can tell us, "You can run but you can't hide!" Christ stands in front of us no matter where we go. How confidently can we approach the Last Judgment? AMEN