Monday March 7, 2022         

Monday of 1st Week in Lent

 

STS. PERPETUA AND FELICITY, Martyrs           

 

Today we celebrate two women martyrs from Carthage, North Africa. Perpetua was a noblewoman, Felicity a slave girl. Both were arrested in a raid on Christians. Each had recently given birth and the Roman authorities tried to use their first newborn babies as hostages to force them to renounce their faith, but both refused. Their faith was dearer to them than even their most cherished possession. With remarkable serenity they went to their heroic death.

                  

First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2;11-18 

God spoke to Moses: “Speak to the congregation of Israel. Tell them, Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.

“Don’t steal.

“Don’t lie.

“Don’t deceive anyone.

“Don’t swear falsely using my name, violating the name of your God. I am God.

“Don’t exploit your friend or rob him.

“Don’t hold back the wages of a hired hand overnight.

“Don’t curse the deaf; don’t put a stumbling block in front of the blind; fear your God. I am God.

“Don’t pervert justice. Don’t show favoritism to either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of what is right.

“Don’t spread gossip and rumors.

“Don’t just stand by when your neighbor’s life is in danger. I am God.

“Don’t secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.

“Don’t seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people.

“Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.

 

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 

 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

 “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

 “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

 “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
you inspire with remarkable courage
those who put all their trust in you.
On this celebration of your holy martyrs
Saints Perpetua and Felicity
we pray you for the strength
to hold you dearer than anything else.

Let nothing stand between you and us,
nothing separate us from you,
for you are our living and loving God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

 

Life is a time of choices – make great ones!

Today’s Gospel opens with a solemn introduction to the narrative of the Last Judgment.
Pope Francis his message for the World Day of Migrants wrote: “Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age.”.

This season of Lent brings us the special opportunity to encounter the Lord. We have been fighting the pandemic for over two years but then the human aggression of war poses a greater threat to humanity. The Word of God invites us to care for those strangers who are sick, helpless, homeless and stranded in a strange land. In the midst of these uncertainties and atrocities, the voice of Jesus revibrates in our ears – “I am there! When you did this for the stranger, the sick, the homeless, you did it for me.’
We are created to make God’s dreams come true in this world. The works of mercy are the most beautiful works in life. Because, the works of mercy give glory to God more than anything else. In the end we will be judged, not for the sins we have committed, because our God forgives; but we will be judged on the basis of our works of mercy. The Judgement scene in the Gospel was on the basis of what was done and what was not done.
The Lord will judge us on the choices we have made. In fact, the Lord does not judge, rather he only draws out the consequences of human choices, brings them to light and respects them.
Life is a time for making robust, decisive, eternal choices. Great choices lead to a life of greatness. Indeed, we become what we choose, for better or for worse. If we choose to steal, we become thieves. If we choose to hate, we become angry. If we choose to spend hours on a cell phone, we become addicted. Yet if we choose God, daily we grow in his love, and we choose to love others, we find true happiness.
Pope Francis gives us a piece of advice to train ourselves to choose well. He writes: Ask yourselves these questions daily: “What do I feel like doing?” and “What is best for me?” This interior discernment can result either in silly choices or in decisions that shape our lives – it depends on us. Let us look to Jesus and ask him for the courage to choose what is best for us, to enable us to follow him in the way of love. And in this way to discover joy. To live, and not just get by.

 

Video available on Youtube: Life is a time of choices – make great ones!