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 the 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."
REFLECTION
"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."
Our Lord Jesus is King of the Universe. He is ruler and at the same time servant of all, ruling from His throne and from the Cross. Do I have to wait until I die to see the Son of Man in his glory? Where can I find Him here on earth?
Every year 200+ volunteers through the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston, Texas, cook, bake and set up to feed the homeless for Thanksgiving. Some stay up all night cooking turkeys. Another group brings sleeping bags, blankets, coats, caps and gloves for the cold Houston nights. They could have stayed in bed, watched the parades on the tele, gathered with their families, played games and spent family time. Their Thanksgiving is spent performing works of mercy to people they do not know, have never met and most likely will not see again. Many of the homeless are very grateful, and yet, some don't make eye contact but walk away with food and clothing.
Many can save souls through preaching. The ideal way for the rest of us is to work for the salvation of souls through a genuine life of prayer "Thy Kingdom come" and doing. In Exodus 19:8, when God gave Moses the commandments, the Jewish people answered with "We will do what He has said." Is my response one of service or comfort?
We are obliged to follow the moral law, to do good and avoid evil. The Beatitudes are at the heart of Christ's teaching, depicting the countenance of Jesus Christ and His Charity. They lead us to the Kingdom of God, living in our hearts.
I cannot be neutral and think only of myself. We are called by example of the saints not to be disinterested but to actively engage in the life of another, because in doing so we are facing Jesus face to face, ministering to Him both on His throne and on the Cross.
Every year PAPA donates to charity. This year we are collecting food: flour, sugar, oil, masteca for tortillas, beans, rice for families. Plan on coming to our Advent Retreat December 8-10, 2023, bring your soul, heart and questions and learn "The Seven Ways to Excommunication".
Bring along your donations. Visit papamio.org for more information about us.
God Bless You
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