What we “see” determines what we do…..And we will be measured by what we do…Not by what we say or read

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew what the Lord will do on Judgment Day….”And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”……This gospel could not be any clearer……How we treat people matters!….”For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”….People have a way of “hearing” only the things they want to hear…..That reality does not change reality!……God is telling us today how we will be judged by him…He is giving us the "final exam" before the test…Its now up to us to act…And if we chose not too……..God is also telling us ahead of time what to expect from him………If we are all honest with ourself, we will admit that we all fall short when it comes to God’s request to assist others in the Gospel of St Matthew….Because of that - The question for today is - How do we improve?….How do we get “eyes to see” the misery and suffering of those around us?…And then do something about it

“Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”

If we are to see God in our neighbor, we have to first find God within our own heart…..We will never do what the Gospel from Mass today requires of us, if we do not first discover God within ourself…By “clearing away” the sins within our life Sacramentally, the “scales” before our eyes will be removed…And when we receive the Blessed Sacrament into our body at Holy Mass, while in a state of grace, we will be given “sight” to see our neighbor differently…..Our very life depends upon it - How you say?….Because Jesus is telling us today…”What you do to the least of mine, you do for me!”……And not “doing for the least” has consequences…But how can we help the least if we do not see them?…..That is why we have to discover God within ourself first…We can not give what we do not have……..Mother Teresa once told a story about a single Catholic mother with six children in Kolkata….It was told to her that this mother did not have any food and her children had not eaten in three days……When Mother Teresa heard this, she left immediately the convent to bring this woman a bag of rice……..When she got there, Mother Teresa said she could see in the eyes of the children that they were starving…If you have ever looked into the eyes of someone who is starving, you know what that “look” Mother Teresa spoke of when telling this story…Such a “look” goes beyond pain….It does not cry……But let me not digress…When Mother Teresa arrived at this starving families home, she gave this woman a fifty pound bag of rice….And shortly there after, the starving woman disappeared…When the mother of six returned she had only a half a bag of rice…So Mother Teresa asked her - “What did you do with the rice I just gave you?”…..The mother of six starving children said…”There is a muslim family down the road, they are starving too - I gave half the bag to them”…..Why am I telling you this story - More times then not, people give out of their own poverty…We have to come to the realization that in the eyes of God, no matter who we are, we are all poor!…..Its not until we realize our own poverty, that we reach a hand out to God and in doing so, our eyes will open, and then and only then will we see our neighbor beside us who is also in need

“Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer”

Today at Mass, we hear a famous Gospel passage about the sheep and the goats…How God will separate them…..Jesus was trying to teach his friends about the importance of assisting those in need….Its very easy to say words…Its very easy to read the Gospel or hear a sermon and then go about our day and forget what we heard….Before we “react” to the words of Jesus, something has to happen inside of us, which will propel us forward….That “something” is an authentic encounter with the Lord........When God becomes real to us - And when that happens - Jesus's words also will become real too - And until that happens, we will not put our faith into action……If you have had such an encounter with the Lord, you know it……But if you have not…Such an encounter begins by inviting God into your life…..That request can be as simple a saying a short prayer…”God have mercy on me a sinner”…..Or…”God show we that you are real”…….We do not have to be a biblical scholar to pray in a way that God understands us…In fact, the simpler the prayer, the better!…..But at the end of the day....What we “see” determines what we do…..And we will be measured by what we do…Not by what we say or read