In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people how to conduct themselves. Though not the Ten Commandments, this reading sounds similar. It ends with the great commandment, the one that Jesus spoke of when asked which is the greatest of the commandments…”You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Our Gospel reading is from Matthew 25.
Here Jesus tells of the king separating the sheep from the goats. Who will be the ones who inherit the kingdom? They are the ones who did something for “these least brothers of mine. ”For I was hungry and you gave me food, 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.” And the goats? They are the ones who did not do anything. “And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
We live in a time where feelings are deemed more important than actions. But you'll notice Jesus didn't say, "Whatever you felt for one of these least ones..." No. He demands action. Perhaps the folks going off to eternal punishment felt sorry or empathy for those least ones. Sorry, not good enough. You can "feel" all day long. But if those feelings don't result in action, the consequences will be dire.
Father, help us to move beyond feelings to action, to truly help the least of our brothers and sisters. Amen.
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