2/23/2015 - Monday of the first week of Lent - Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46

      Today's readings talk about God's laws and how we are judged and governed according to his law.  As I thought about today's readings, I reflected about all the different rules and regulations that govern our lives.   As Catholics, we not only have God's laws and commandments in Sacred Scripture, but we also have Canon Law that dictates a lot that happens in the Church, and for me personally, it dictates and controls a lot of what I do as a priest.  Even on my recent pilgrimage, there were a lot of rules and regulations.  There were times when the hostels closed and opened, times when we had to go to bed, rules regarding the bathrooms and the kitchens.  But sometimes we human beings think we are beyond the rules or beyond God.

       There is a story of when Napoleon was to be crowned emperor of France.  In France, the tradition was for the emperor to be anointed and consecrated by the Archbishop in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Reims.  However, Napoleon arranged for Pope Pius VII to preside over the coronation in 1804.  However, at the moment he was to be crowned, Napoleon took the crown from the hands of the pope and put it on his own head, crowning himself.  What a strong message he was sending the world – and that he was sending God as well!

        And while Leviticus shows Moses receiving laws from God to give to the people of Israel, gives us a new standard to be judged by: how we treat the prisoner, the poor, and our brothers and sisters who are hungry and thirsty.  God expects us to follow his laws and commandments.  And Jesus expects us to treat our brothers and sisters with love and compassion.  Are we getting the message?