1ST WEEK OF LENT
Psalter: Week 1 / (Violet)
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
1st Reading: Lev 19:1-2, 11-18*
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, “Speak to the entire assembly of the people of Israel and say to them: Be holy for I, Yahweh, your God, am holy.
Do not steal or lie or deceive one another. (…) Do not hate your brother in your heart; rebuke your neighbor frankly so as not to share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or nurture a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.
Gospel: Mt 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be brought before him; and, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
The king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me into your home. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to see me.’
Then the righteous will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and give you food; thirsty, and give you something to drink; or a stranger, and welcome you; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to see you?’ The king will answer, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the evil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’
They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ The king will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, to eternal life.”
Reflections
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
We have heard this injunction so many times before that we are no longer struck by its challenge. But if we begin to ponder on it anew we are struck by the fact that the measure of love for others that is demanded of us is our love for ourselves. We are often taught as children not to be selfish. So what is the difference between being selfish and loving ourselves? Loving ourselves means doing all that would make us healthier, saner, happier, holier human beings. So we take care of our bodies nourishing ourselves with healthy food, avoiding what will cause sickness to our bodies like smoking, drinking and all other forms of addiction. We develop good habits and strive to grow spiritually. And this is what we wish for others and we do what we can to help them attain this well being of body and spirit. Being selfish means to gratify all what our body craves even if it is harmful to it or to think solely of ourselves, indifferent to the needs of others or even to the extent of depriving others of what is due to them. Thus there is a healthy self-love which is our gauge in loving others.
Daily Reflection 2018
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
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