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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider You did [it] for me

You did [it] for me

Published Feb 18, 2024 10:29 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY

Gird your loins

The Gospel is about the Last Judgment. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will come in glory and reward us according to what we have done to the needy. But the passage is shortened. It focuses only on giving reward to the good. The liturgists want to end the reading with a more positive note, “to eternal life.”


In this Lenten season, part of our spiritual renewal and practice is to do charity work. The Gospel specifies the beneficiary of our generosity—the poor, the helpless, the needy. Jesus considers them his brothers, part of his family. Their presence among us should remind us of Jesus. If we truly love Jesus and want to go to heaven, then we must be generous to the less fortunate. We must share a chunk of our income or blessing with them. Christianity is all about approaching the least fortunate and responding to their needs to survive. Let us not invent a lot of reasons for not giving. Rather let us do the opposite—invent a lot of reasons for giving.

 

First Reading • Lv 19:1-2, 11-18

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.


“You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another. You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord.


“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer. You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.


“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord.


“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove him, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

 

GOSPEL • Mt 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘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 welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 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.’... And these will go off... to eternal life.”

 

Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected].

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