THE SEPARATION  

The Gospel message is that, although the poor are declared to be happy or blessed or privileged, they are also the unfortunate who must be helped. In Matthew 25:31 Jesus paints a dramatic picture of the final judgement. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the prisoner are identified with Jesus. They are His brothers and sisters.  What is done to them is done to Him. This text warns all those who aspire to follow Christ to remain on the alert to recognise His presence at all times, and to serve Him by serving the poor.

This passage is of vital importance to our understanding of the Church. It even defines our faithfulness to Jesus Christ. His earthy existance was a clear demonstration of what it was to be really poor. As a result, the poor were able to have confidence in Him, could see in Him the seeds of hope, and hear in His teaching the expression of justice and love. So must it be with the Church. Just as the poor are important for a right understanding of the mistery of Christ, so they are important for a right understanding of the mystery of the Church (Fr. Bill O'Shea).

 

A HUNGRY BOY AND GIRL.

 Let us pause for a moment before we sit down to eat.

Before we satisfy our hunger, let us wait for a little girl in the famine-stricken desert to take her first mouthful of her first meal for a week.

Let us pause for a moment before we sit down to eat.

Before we satisfy our hunger, let us wait for a little boy in the famine-stricken mountains to take his first mouthful of his first meal for a week. (Modern prayer, Los Angeles, USA).