Monday, March 10, 2014

Monday of the First Week
Reflection
The theme of today’s Scriptures is this: live out God’s goodness on earth. Let His grace permeate your life. Go out and be good to others, as God would want us to be.

In the first reading, we are given a list of things we should not do to others. We should not lie, we should not cheat, we should not hate, and so on. The refrain after each rule, as it were, is “I am the Lord.” God is not just telling us to do these things; He is asking us to be like Him. We are called to be good, just, and holy, for we are made in the image of the Lord. “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy,” He says. He wants us to be like Him in our actions toward others.

The Gospel is a well-known one. When we clothe the naked, we are clothing God. When we feed the hungry, we are feeding God. When we shelter the homeless, we shelter God. God’s love doesn’t stop. It is not lessened by who you are or what you’ve done. When we ignore the needy, we ignore God. When we walk past the helpless, we walk past God. If we are to love Him completely, we must love the “least of [our] brothers [and sisters].”

To love God is to love every human, unconditionally and without judgment.

Prayer
God, You surround us constantly with opportunities to share Your love and show Your kindness. Help us to channel Your goodness today, and to offer our help to those in need so that they may come to know You by our love.

Colleen Knowles, ‘17

Scripture
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

1 comment:

Anna said...

"To love God is to love every human, unconditionally and without judgment." Thanks Colleen, for the beautiful reflection on how we treat our brothers and sisters is how we are treating God-in-our-midst. May we always to attentive to the ways in which we can love those around us the way God loves us.