First reading Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18
Only pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice
The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:
‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.
‘“You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.
‘“You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord. You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’
Responsorial Psalm 18(19):8-10,15
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eye.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the Lord are true,
all of them just.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel Matthew 25:31-46
I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’
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Loving others is loving God
“Be holy…you must love your neighbour as yourself” (1st reading). In God’s eyes, to be holy is to love. Holiness consists in loving God and others. In fact, the two are inseparable, as St. John writes, “We cannot love God, who we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen…whoever loves God must love others also” (1 John 4:20-21). In the gospel, Jesus Himself affirmed those who have loved their fellow sisters and brothers, “In so far as you did this to one of the least of these…you did it to Me.”
In our modern society, we are called to recognise, not only those who are physically hungry, thirsty, sick, in prison, etc., but those around us who are spiritually and emotionally in need. There are many around us who hunger and thirst for affirmation and friendship. There are also those who are dealing with mental or emotional health issues, while others may be imprisoned in their bad habits or addictions. In prayer, we ask Jesus to teach us to see others’ needs and move our hearts to love them through our words and actions.
Reflective question:
Concretely, who is Jesus calling me to love today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
