From the Gospel according to Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
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.”

I See Jesus in You

Jesus teaches us the key to inheriting a Kingdom prepared for us since the foundation of the world: to see Jesus in others. The alternative is eternal loss. So this is no small matter. It challenges us to examine our attitude towards those in need, towards the little ones. What do I do? Do I see Jesus in them?

In married life, this Gospel prompts us to ask: what do I do when my spouse is in need? When he is tired, discouraged, feeling lonely, when he needs my support. It is Jesus whom I leave unattended if I fail to care. If, instead of patiently listening to my wife, I think she is being tiresome and going on again about her nonsense, I am abandoning Jesus. It is Jesus — again and again — waiting to be loved.

What a beautiful vocation marriage is! Through our Sacrament, we are able to minister to Jesus, through the needs of our spouse, every day of our lives.

Brought into Married Life

Caroline: Vincent, I have to tell you — lately I’ve noticed a real change in you.

Vincent: I hope it’s for the better!

Caroline: Of course it is! You’re so much more attentive when you come home, and you’re not arriving as late from the office anymore.

Vincent: I’ve had some help. Do you remember the little prayer corner I set up by the entrance from the garage? Well, every time I come home — even if I’m exhausted — I stop there for a moment. I pray, and I remind myself that it is Jesus I am about to meet, worn out after an afternoon with the girls. How could I not attend to Him?

Caroline: The girls have noticed it too. And I think I might start pausing there as well.

Vincent: I have to admit that sometimes what kept me at the office wasn’t all that important. I avoided coming home because I felt I didn’t deserve more “work” after work, and it made me irritable — and we both know how the day would end. Now it’s different. It’s no longer extra work; it’s an opportunity to serve — to serve Jesus. And that has changed everything.

Caroline: I want to learn to see you that way too!

Mother,

Help me to see Jesus in my spouse, in need of my tenderness, affection and support. Praised be the Lord.