Word to the Wise
Monday, March 10, 2025 - 1st Week of Lent - Mon
[Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 and Matt 25:31-46]Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy....You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [Leviticus] "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me." [Matthew]
It can be startling to hear speeches by politicians and others who claim to be Christian that show little awareness on their part of the scene depicted as the Last Judgment in the Gospel According to Matthew. But, then again, how cognizant are WE of that scene? The passage from Leviticus in today's first scripture ends with the "golden rule." Jesus cites that commandment as one of the two most important commandments. The other is love of God with all our hearts, all our minds and all our strength. Can there be a "disconnect" between those two commandments?
Christianity makes very strong ethical demands. The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to Matthew (chs. 5-7) is a virtual catechism of these demands. How do these demands influence our daily conduct in regard to others? How do they influence the way we select the leadership of our community, our state or our nation? Holiness is not simply devotional behavior!
Lent is a season of challenge to conversion and repentance. If we seek forgiveness, we must be willing to forgive. The "Our Father" connects those two actions! The parable of the Unforgiving Servant, also in Matthew [18:21-35] reminds us of this. Changing the heart is harder than giving up a treat for 40 days, but for true penance and conversion we must "start with the heart!" AMEN