In Mathew 25 the Lord paints for us a scene of the Last Judgement. The criteria he uses in passing judgement is a simple – “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.” The Lord does not judge people by how many Bible verses they knew, or whether they knew the Catechism of the Catholic Church by heart or not. While knowing all that is of great benefit to an individual, he reduced it to the basics of love being put into action.
Breaking Every Yoke
Our first reading today taken from the book of the Prophet Isaiah reminds us of these basics of our faith in the context of our Fasting Season. The Lord says through the Prophet Isaiah, “The fasting I desire is this, releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!”
Unrelenting Care
Our Catholic Church with all its frailty has a long term and deep commitment to the poor, the suffering and the oppressed. In her care for the weak ones in society, our Church does not even mind about their zip codes, their religion, their color and ethnicities – she simply takes care of those in need. We take care of those in need through Catholic charities, Catholic healthcare ministries, Catholic relief services, refugee resettlement programs, Catholic food pantries.
Our actions are informed by the moral imperative of the gospel that the Prophet Isaiah spoke about many years ago. Our faith is translated into action through these commitments. What will we tell God at the end of time? With all the immense material blessings God has bestowed upon us, how will we explain to him that we didn’t take care of the homeless, that not once did we visit nor donate to a food pantry that served families or individuals who were on the verge of starving? What will we tell God that people whose villages were bombarded and on fire, ran to our village for safety and we told them they were unwelcome? What will we tell God at the end of time?
Growing In Charity
The three pillars of Lent are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Today we are being invited to carefully reflect on the pillar of Christian charity. We can ask ourselves today: “In what ways can I be more attentive to the needs of others especially those with nothing or those with very little? As a family, in what practical ways can we be more intentional about taking care of the needy, especially those outside our family circle? May God’s grace sharpen our eyes and hearts to see and to hear the needs of others.
- Father Fred's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
