WATCHWORD:
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ ” Matthew 25:41-45
Meditation:
Failure To Respond
I just returned from California where I attended my granddaughters graduation from Pomona College. It was a grand and glorious event on a beautiful campus. The day before the big celebration, my son took me on a driving tour through his neighborhood in Altadena where the fire had burned its way through so many beautiful family homes, both luxurious and simple, causing chaos, heartbreak and loss.
I had been to his home and neighborhood many times over the years, but I was not prepared for what I was seeing. On his side of the street where there had stood ten homes, only his and two others were left standing. The fence around two sides of his yard were gone and the painted trim on one side of his house was blistered. It’s amazing how chance and the breath of wind can change lives.
As we drove around the Los Angeles area I was struck by the vast numbers of homeless. Some, I’m sure, was a result of the fires, driven by the wind, that raged through many neighborhoods, but there were populations in areas and conditions that reflected lives that have been lived under a bridge for so long, and it got me thinking about Jesus’ words and the people in our lives who, in effect, have no faces. Oh, they have faces but they are invisible because we rarely see them. They may live next-door, or in other neighborhoods., and yet we don’t know them, nor do we reach out to them. Maybe they lost their job then strangely, they disappeared, right there within your knowledge and your awareness.. Maybe they lost their spouse and that has taken them out of a social group that supported them. Yet, we fail to…connect.
Recently someone sent me a book by Dorothee Soelle entitled Death by Bread Alone. Early in the first chapter, it speaks about a few within the sphere of our lives that are alone. They want to be left alone, they are friendless, they distrust, they despise interruption from others and eventually they become invisible or forgotten. They live lives only by themselves, and for themselves.
Then there are the many who by misfortune, storms, earthquake or fire are left without homes or without status or position that once defined who they were. We flip the script, and leave them alone, we failure to reach out, to help, in effect make them invisible or forgotten. Well, you get the idea and the picture is not pretty. There may be no actual death, but the life within those people is altered or gone. Death by bread alone.
What role should we play in responding to the needs of others? How do you understand the parable of the good Samaritan? What do you think Christ meant when he said go and do likewise? What do you think he meant when he said love others as I love you? Do you know the answer to all those questions, the hangup? The problem is that we have a hard time moving out of our comfort zone. It is hard for us to expend our gold to help others and to follow Him. As we’ve often said, the walk of a Christian is not an easy path.
Several days ago, I had a phone call from an acquaintance, who just wanted to talk — about almost anything. This person lost his loved one several years ago, and that void had been filled with a lot of superficial things, that no longer had meaning for him. He had gone through a change and he was not sure what he was going to do. He was desperately lonely I could hear it in his voice, I could feel it in our conversation.
It’s been a long time since I was involved in practical psychology. But certain things within the texture of relationships don’t change. We need the human touch, without it we get lost. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer composing story. But there comes a time when I need the presence and the touch of friends and if it’s not there, the feeling is not good. Imagine yourself standing beside the still smoldering embers of what was once your life. What would you like your friend to do to lift you up? Now, reverse the roles, do likewise. Never underestimate the power of your voice, your touch, the extending of your hand. Those are the acts and sounds of love! Go and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Amen.
In Reponse…
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ” Matthew 25:37-40
Closing Prayer:
Lord, we ask today for more of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Lord, it can be easy for us to become consumed with the fears that surround us in life, but we know that just as Your eye is indeed on the sparrow, so also do You care for and see us. Teach us today to become more reliant on You. Bring us into a greater discernment of how You operate, so that we may come into a deeper understanding that all we see with natural eyes is not all that is. Today we ask for eyes to see Your hand in all matters, and hearts open to Your work. Amen.
