Origen of Alexandria, one of the most
influential of the early Church fathers from the East, taught that the reading
and contemplation of Scripture initiates a dialogue in which God is present to
us and we are changed in our inner being by this experience of God. Origen believed that through our study of
God's word, a grace is present through which the person is led beyond the
meaning of the words to experience the divine presence that is unique to our own
personal experience. We are to get
beyond the surface of the biblical text.
We are to live inside of the text so that the biblical words become our
own spiritual flesh and blood. If we believe in the message that Origen is
conveying to us, just how does today's Gospel from Matthew speak to us?
We live in a secular society that
values so many different things: fame, power, pleasure, instant gratification,
effectiveness, efficiency, influence, money, and the accumulation of material
possessions. And, yet, in this parable
of the last judgment, Jesus does not address any of these things. Jesus only asks, "Did you feed the
hungry?" "Did you clothe the naked?" "When I was in prison
did you come to me?" In other words, he only asks that we be faithful to the
message of his Gospel.
What is striking about this parable is
that the blessed of the Lord seem unaware of what they have done. They are
surprised to hear Jesus say, "As you cared for the least of my sisters and
brothers you cared for me." When Jesus says, "Come, O blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you," they ask, "Are you
talking to us?"
How is this Gospel message speaking to
us today, especially as we hear it during the holy season of Lent, as we are
called to conversion and repentance, as we are to renew our focus on Jesus and
his message of Good News?
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the
celebrated German writer who died in the early 19th century, said
these famous last words on his deathbed: “More light! More light!” As human beings, we crave the light that will
lead us out of the darkness. Christ is
that light. How do we bring the light of
Christ in acts of kindness and mercy to the marginalized & the oppressed in
our society: to the homeless, the poor, the hungry, the lonely, the imprisoned?
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