Daily Reflection for Monday, March 07, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030722.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Responsorial: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. Psalm 19:10b
The criminal justice system in the United States is uneven in its penalties. The punishment for murder can be as much as death or as little as house arrest. It depends on a few things, not least of which is what resources the defendant has. There is also the practice of giving a defendant less time if she accepts a plea agreement which ensures some punishment but usually less than what a guilty verdict in a trial would mean.
Unlike the criminal justice systems throughout the world, God’s laws are enduring, consistent and eternal. My personal belief is that when God created heaven and earth, he wove his laws and their penalties into creation so that when one of those laws is broken, the penalty is already set and the offender is liable for the consequences.
Fortunately for us, the Father sent the Son to offer us all a very generous plea deal. We can avoid everlasting death by obeying the Law of Love, as articulated in today’s Gospel reading:
“When I was hungry you fed me, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was naked you clothed me. When I was ill you cared for me. When I was in prison, you visited me. ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you… “
If we love God with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our strength and love our neighbors as ourselves we have fulfilled the Law of Love. By caring for the brothers of Christ in the way Jesus describes in today’s Gospel, the punishment we deserve is mitigated and we can claim eternal life.
I invite you to take this season of Lent as an opportunity to show your love for the brothers of Christ through fasting and prayer for the salvation of all people and by alms giving to the poor among us.
Blessing, dear friends.
Melissa Kittrell