Just as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me.
Scripture
Ezekiel 34: 15-20: I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.
Matthew 25: 31-40: I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
Meditation
In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that we cannot separate our love for God from our love for others. We love God when we feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. When we care for and serve “one of the least of these,” we are caring for and serving Christ himself.
Recent history has made visible the immense suffering among God’s family members. In Minnesota, the murder of George Floyd by a police officer exposed continued racial injustice. Floyd’s cry of “I can’t breathe” was also the cry of many suffering under the weight of both the pandemic and oppression. As Christians, we must be unified in our responsibility to love and care for others, as we are cared for and loved by God. In so doing, we live out our shared faith through our actions in service to the world.
The prophet Ezekiel describes the Lord God as a shepherd. Unity is the Father’s desire for his people and he continues to bring about this unity, to make the flock whole, through the action of his Holy Spirit.
Prayer
God of Love, we thank you for your unending care and love for us. Help us to sing redemption songs and to extend your compassion to the whole of the human family. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.