“Sheep” or “Goat”?

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew we are told what it means to be a Catholic - To be a person for others…No matter what your vocation is: Priest, married or single…As a Catholic we are meant to give our life away in service to God and neighbor….”As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”………I was educated at a Jesuit University and above the front door of the library were these words - “Those who have been given much - Much will be expected”……If we have been blessed in this life with an education, with a good job, with a good family…We are called to use what was given to us to build the Kingdom of God here on earth - And this mindset is at the root of seeing the world through the lens of what Jesus tells us today….Are you trying to build your kingdom here on earth or in heaven?….A person who has been blessed with many things and lives to “impress others” as we are told the Pharisees did today in the Gospel - Such a person is building their Kingdom on earth…But the man who has been blessed with many things and shares what has been given to him and lives in a simple and humble manner - This man is a “child of God”…..The difference between the two different kinds of people described to us today by Jesus is very transparent…..Even when a person, like the Pharisees, “broadcast” a belief in God - Such a man’s lifestyle will speak for itself….Maybe this is why Jesus choose twelve simple men to be his first disciples….These twelve men worked with their hands and were “men of the people”…This is the kind of man a Catholic must aspire to me…Humble - Simple - And a person of “the people”…….”The greatest among you must be your servant” - Is this how you aspire to live? - To be a servant of others and not a master?……Once again, this is another criteria noted in St Matthew’s Gospel describing how God the Father will separate the “sheep” from the “goats”…..”Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”…….No servant is greater than his master!

“You have but one Father in heaven; you have but one master, the Christ”

When I was in college I had a roommate who was possibly the most generous person I ever met…Sean came from a rich family - His father was a lawyer and Sean had a good job he worked in the summers and when he went home on breaks from college….None of us had any money except for Sean and when Sean went home and worked - He would return to college and share the money he made with all of us…..After we graduated, one of our roommates was getting married and I drove out to Sean’s home to pick him up so we could drive to the wedding in Washington DC….Sean’s family lived out by the beach, close to the ocean, and I assumed his home would be some mansion….When I got to Sean’s house, I was surprised to see his home was very modest….While his father made a lot of money - Sean was one of five children and his family home was far from what I expected it to be….I never told Sean this but I always admired just how generous he was - Also how impressed I was with his parents, who were practicing Catholics….Sean’s father made a lot of money - He could have very easily not had a big family and lived the life of a rich man, as many New York lawyers do - Instead, he had five children and taught them by his example what it meant to be a man for others…Maybe this is why Sean was so generous - He learned it from his parents…..How we live our life “speaks” to others….If we say we are Catholic - The choices we make and how we live tells the world everything they need to know.

“The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps”

Today we are told by Jesus what it looks like to be a disciple - As Catholics, we have to practice what we preach - Why? - Because people believe what they see!…We cannot speak like Jesus and live like some king….Jesus was a humble man and he was God - “Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”….God the Father choose to send his son into the world as a humble carpenter - He lived in a humble working family with Joseph and Mary and he choose humble working men to be his first disciples….How can we not think we are not to do the same?…And if we have been given great talents and gifts - Do we share them with others? - Do we have large families with many children? - Do we teach our children by our life’s example what it means to be a person for others?……When we live this way - We proclaim the Gospel without preaching a word!…Just as my friend Sean’s family did - And those are the “messages” that resonate!……And that is how we will be separated at the end of time when Jesus returns………“Sheep” or “Goat”?……JMJ