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.” LV 19:1-2, 11-18
God tells Moses how to become holy. ”Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” Pay attention! Live it!
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.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.” MT 25:31-46
“I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security”-Pope Francis
Pope Francis has asked all Catholic Schools to teach the Works of Mercy in their schools and practice them. We are first called to practice these Works by being missionaries in our homes. We first feed, clothe, and shelter our own. Parents become nerds and never go out with their friends because they are fulfilling their vocation, dying to self, and working, feeding, clothing, sheltering their kids. So, when you think your parents have no life or were born under a rock, remember they became that way because they love you. Take care of those who take care of you. Next, every parish I have ever visited or been a part of carries out these Works of Mercy, try something new each year through your Stewardship renewal. It will change your life forever because you will see the face of Christ. Once you see the face of Christ in others you never want to stop. Many of us have elderly in our neighborhood or someone who needs help, be the first to extend a hand. Last, help the Catholic Church in which we are all members with Christ as the Head, we as the body, moving and living during this generation to bring Christ to those most in need. Help the homeless veterans at Passageways, become trained for prison ministry and be Christ for someone in prison, volunteer at the Lord’s Diner, work with others in your parish to take care of the working poor through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, donate your clothing to a Church or organization downtown for the homeless, bring the Eucharist to the home bound or make scheduled visits to nursing homes, make hospital visits to those in your parish who are sick or just had a newborn, and pray for the sick.
Do you realize that the fastest way the Christian faith spread in the early Church was by being an example of Christ for others? Do you realize the Catholic Church you are a part of is the first organization to start hospitals (Peter and his wife with Jesus took care of the sick in his home-like a first hospital), orphanages, help widows, and bring in the sick and dying off the streets. The Catholic Church feeds, clothes, and shelters more people than any organization in the world. May we not allow this to stop with our generation. The Catholic Church does not belong on the outskirts of town keeping to itself and only worrying about it’s own filled with people who only show up on Sundays (if that) and make it a check off on the list of things to do for the week. It is not ONLY a place to get a good education so our students can good a good job, have a good retirement, and live a good comfortable life-if this is our end goal in life we have failed to teach this generation who Christ is and what He desires. This life is a preparation for the next and love is a verb, we are called to bring Christ to others.
Christ made this teaching so important He tied our eternal state to it-heaven and hell. “‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. ’And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” MT 25:31-46
Stop worrying about your own life and do something for someone who is in much greater need than you, then you will see Christ and begin to live.
Today’s challenge: Get online and make a list of charities in your community/parish that your heart is pulled towards. Help in one way each year in some way. It does not have to be everyday or even every month, but help in someway throughout the year. See the face of Christ in your home, in your parish, and in your community among the most needy.
Become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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