March 1, 2004 Monday of the 1st Week of Lent
Has anybody seen the Passion movie yet? We saw it Friday evening. I’m not here to do a movie review. Obviously I’m not very good at it. Every time I like a movie, the critics hate it. And whenever the critics love a movie, I usually hate it. I will say that in this case, the reviews have for this one have been pretty good.
It’s not really a movie that you will like or not like. It’s more of an experience. I would bet that you have never seen or read anything that will prepare you for what you see on the screen. It’s not an easy thing to watch, especially when you consider that Christ endured this terrible suffering for you and me.
So, how do you say thank you to someone who would go through that for you? When a person does something nice for you, the polite thing to do is to say “thank you.” Maybe you send a card or buy them a gift. Maybe you promise to return the favor. But, how do you say “thanks” to the Son of God?
One way is in prayer. Before we recite our wish list of the things that we want and need, we offer thanks. At mass, we say “Glory to God in the highest… We worship you, we give you thanks.” Hopefully in our private pray we remember to give thanks, too.
Another way is by attending mass and participating in the Eucharist. He couldn’t have made it much clearer when He said, “Do this in memory of me.”
But, He’s the Son of God. What can we offer Him that he doesn’t already have? He appreciates our prayers, but He doesn’t need them. What can we offer that’s a more tangible sign of our gratitude? He gives us the answer in today’s Gospel. Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Welcome the stranger. Clothe the naked. Visit the sick and those in prison. When we do these things, we are doing them for Him.
Have you seen the tv show, Joan of Arcadia? In it, God appears to a teenage girl in different forms. He may be male or female. He may be a teacher or another teenager. The thing is, He can do that. He can appear in any form He wants to. He’s God.
We know that Christ is in each one of us. When we help someone in need, we are helping Him. And, that’s how He wants us to say “thank you.” He says so in today’s Gospel.
The challenge for us, every day, but especially during the season of Lent, is to see Christ in those in need and to treat them as we would treat Him.
“He will answer them, ‘Amen I say to you,
What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
But the righteous to eternal life.”
It’s not really a movie that you will like or not like. It’s more of an experience. I would bet that you have never seen or read anything that will prepare you for what you see on the screen. It’s not an easy thing to watch, especially when you consider that Christ endured this terrible suffering for you and me.
So, how do you say thank you to someone who would go through that for you? When a person does something nice for you, the polite thing to do is to say “thank you.” Maybe you send a card or buy them a gift. Maybe you promise to return the favor. But, how do you say “thanks” to the Son of God?
One way is in prayer. Before we recite our wish list of the things that we want and need, we offer thanks. At mass, we say “Glory to God in the highest… We worship you, we give you thanks.” Hopefully in our private pray we remember to give thanks, too.
Another way is by attending mass and participating in the Eucharist. He couldn’t have made it much clearer when He said, “Do this in memory of me.”
But, He’s the Son of God. What can we offer Him that he doesn’t already have? He appreciates our prayers, but He doesn’t need them. What can we offer that’s a more tangible sign of our gratitude? He gives us the answer in today’s Gospel. Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Welcome the stranger. Clothe the naked. Visit the sick and those in prison. When we do these things, we are doing them for Him.
Have you seen the tv show, Joan of Arcadia? In it, God appears to a teenage girl in different forms. He may be male or female. He may be a teacher or another teenager. The thing is, He can do that. He can appear in any form He wants to. He’s God.
We know that Christ is in each one of us. When we help someone in need, we are helping Him. And, that’s how He wants us to say “thank you.” He says so in today’s Gospel.
The challenge for us, every day, but especially during the season of Lent, is to see Christ in those in need and to treat them as we would treat Him.
“He will answer them, ‘Amen I say to you,
What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
But the righteous to eternal life.”
posted by Mike at 1:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home