Monday of the First Week of Lent
Jesus said, “31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life” Matthew 25:31-46.
Jesus says at the end of this parable that “the righteous (will go) into eternal life.” To be righteous simply means that you are in the right relationship with God. And in this parable Jesus shows us what living the Christian life means. This parable is about righteous living. To be in the right relationship with God means that you and I helped feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcomed the strangers into our life, gave clothing to those in need, helped the sick and those in prison. This kind of living is what defines being righteous.
Lent is a perfect time for you and me to own up to our shortcomings and renews living as righteous people. So join me in daily prayer and in doing acts of love and service to others. If you ask God to put this desire into your heart, He will do it.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” James 5:16.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33.
“The one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward” Matthew 10:41.
“So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” Matthew 23:28.
“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous” Proverbs 15:29.
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