Lenten Reflection - Day 5 - See Jesus in others, be Jesus to others

Sisters and sisters in Christ, in today's Gospel, we hear from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ how he would judge the nations, how he would judge each and everyone of us - by what we do or fail to do to help those most in need in our society.

From this is borne the Catholic Church's teachings on the corporal works of mercy, which can be found here on the USCCB's web-site: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-corporal-works-of-mercy, including a seventh ==> bury the dead.

1. I was hungry and you gave me food ==> feed the hungry

2. I was thirsty and you gave me drink ==> give drink to the thirsty

3. a stranger and you welcomed me ==> shelter the homeless

4. naked and you clothed me ==> give alms to the poor

5. ill and you cared for me ==> visit the sick

6. in prison and you visited me ==> visit the prisoners

Let us meditate on this Gospel passage and the corporal works of mercy this Lent and how we can use the practices of pray, fasting, and almsgiving to see Jesus in others and be Jesus to others.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

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."