March 10th

By: Christian Martinez

OPENING PRAYER

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Fan the flames that dwell within, and renew in us the loving spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We ask you to be with us, stay with us and never leave our side. In the next few moments, we will hear your words – may we hear your voice, may we hear your will, may we hear clearly the voice of Love which holds this universe and seeks for us what is good, true and beautiful. Father, we thank you for the gift of life. We end this prayer with open hearts, in gratitude to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Be still. Take deep breaths, in and out. Do your best to eliminate distractions in your environment – perhaps turn off the television and other electronic devices. After each reading, close your eyes and let God’s words dwell in your spirit. Let Him speak to you, and be open and attentive to what he is saying.

READING

Gospel Reading : Matthew 25:31-46

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

REFLECTION

Our readings today resoundingly declare: Jesus Christ is Lord! And yet when we speak in our faith of our “Lord,” we do not mince words at all. We collect ourselves and surrender our entire being to the Lord of our lives, mind, body, soul. What does our Lord tell us? Our first reading teaches us of the requirement of justice. We seek justice for many good reasons, including goodness itself. We also cross paths with a fact that we cannot ignore: “I am the Lord,” it is declared. It is the Lord of our lives who commands us to seek justice, to seek him. The commandments of the Old Testament Lord are finally fulfilled and perfected in Jesus Christ.

The Gospel reading teaches us the perfection of love, and so he points us outward and asks us to uncover our eyes, see our sisters and brothers on the fringes of society and take care of them. We are taught mercy. If we are to finally understand what Jesus asks of us in order to be eternally with him, we are asked to see him in each and every person, without exception. Today and always, let us allow Jesus Christ to be our Lord, seek justice in our world and be merciful to all our sisters and brothers.

MEDITATION

Please reflect on your life. In the comfort and security of your own self, allow honesty to permeate your spirit and answer these questions truthfully.

• Is Jesus the Lord of your life?
• How is he Lord of your life?
• How is he not Lord of your life?
• Do you see Christ in others?
• When you see someone who asks for spare change or food, what are the thoughts that immediately come to mind?

Whatever the answer may be to any and all of these questions, accept them and allow the Holy Spirit to purify your heart and to sustain you in your journey of seeking justice and mercy in our world.

CLOSING PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you for your abundant graces! We thank you, most especially, for the gift of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit of love that you share. Please renew us completely and allow us to see you living and dwelling richly in our sisters and brothers. We ask that you grant us the gift of truth so that we may be able to reflect honestly during this season of Lent. We pray that you form our hearts to move us toward justice and mercy, and grant us the gift of memory so that we may always remember the things you have done for us. May your light shine on us, and to you be all the glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

AMEN