Even to the least of these

​And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

How often do we think about the consequences of our actions? Do we spend deep in thought about how in 10-15 years those actions will reap exactly what we sowed all those years ago? I can tell you from personal experience that I don't. I usually go about my day after my actions have taken place and forget about them...unless it was a really traumatic experience, I move on and I will only think about it in passing. However in the scripture that I presented in the beginning of this blog post, our Lord, Jesus presents to us a picture of the final judgement.  The King is judging those of his kingdom by their actions. Those on right, are the sheep. Those on his left, the goats. But he also says that those who are being judged will ask when they did the things that the King speaks of and then that is when the King utters the phrase posted above. To the least of these. God isn't expecting us to behave some way in front of those in authority and another way to those behind closed doors like our friends and family. God is commanding us in that scripture to have a way of life. A way of life where we take care of those around us, the poor, the sick, the suffering. But not only that but every action we undertake should be one that is spiritually edifying and glorifying God.

This starts in the home. Parents are often the first interactions children have with others and the actions of the parents will shape and mold the child. When the parents lives reflect Christ and the teachings of the chufch, the child is more likely to grow into a strong Christian example. The opposite could be said for those who are raised by non Christian parents. Those children will often times follow in their footsteps into the sins of this world. Now this is not always the case, but for the most part that is the case. Teaching our children to take care of the poor, to love their neighbors as theirselves, is the job of the parents. When they fail, then they have failed in their responsibility before God. 

Continuing on, not only are parents responsible, but all Christians are responsible for the raising and spiritual edification of those around us. Godparents are to assist the parents in raising the child in the love of Christ, Priests are the spiritual fathers of the entire parish and bishops, the spiritual fathers of the diocese. We must lead by example. In the West so many have forgotten their call to take care of each other because we are constantly drawn to think about ourselves and how something will make us look better in the eyes of society. Instead we should be out there visiting prisons, going into hospitals, establishing orphanages and homes for the destitute and downtrodden. And yes I'm preaching to myself as much as to all of you. So the next time you see the person on the street begging for money, spare a moment in prayer or spare a few cents, after all, you can always acquire more money, but you can't acquire more time. 

May God have mercy on us all. 

Amen.