1st Week of Lent
27th February 2023 (Monday) Readings and Reflection
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Reading of the Day
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. "You shall not oppress your neighbour or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. "You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbour: I am the Lord. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbour, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 (R. see John 6:63c)
R/. Your words, O Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel : Matthew 25:31-46
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the 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, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, 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, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Love is the sum!
Indicative: Love is the greatest commandment. It is twofold: for God and others. It is the same love that manifests itself in two aspects{alertSuccess}
1. The whole focus of the word of God is on love, with its emphasis on love for others. Fraternal love is both the expression and also the evidence and testimony of love for God. Accordingly, it also becomes the crucial criterion for the last judgment.
2. All the questions of the judgment are concerning fraternal duties, like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned
3. In fact, all these fraternal concerns are not just nice acts of kindness. They are also not merely moral matters of doing good or not doing. They are essential and fundamental human obligations. They are non-negotiable principles of justice. In this sense, they are not favours that we do according to our liking or convenience. They are inescapably binding
4. The commandments of God in the first reading also carry this fundamentally binding character. Unfortunately many look at them from a mere religious or legal or moral perspective, that is as matters of religion or laws or ethics
5. We do not deny their religious or legal or ethical nature. But they are not just that. They pertain to the whole life. They affect the whole person, inter-relationships, and society. They are profound issues of integrity, sensitivity, and justice
6. They are the “religion in action”, God in humanity, and holiness in goodness. That is why, Jesus says, “Whatever you do to the needy brethren, you do it for me”. This kind of integral understanding of religion is very exigent in our times.
7. We find in our times a distorted and narrow perspective of religion. It is limited to mere rituals or some religious activities with total disrespect and damage to the basic principles of humanity and justice.
Imperative: What kind of religion it is when it fails in the spirit of unity, fraternity, and charity? A religion that is inhuman and destructive in the name of God and religion is only demoniac. It is high time that our devotion is re-clothed with humanness{alertSuccess}