Dear Brothers and Sisters,
St. Francis when he kissed the leper he saw Christ and from that moment on he turned his back on the world. Christ is truly present anonymously in the sick, the poor, the unloved, in those we cannot accept. We will be judged on this. It is not an unexamined life but an unspent life that is not worth living. This gospel is not about starting a social welfare program but seeing Christ in these little ones.
Here are a few things Mother Teresa said:
Jesus is the Hungry – to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty – to be satiated.
Jesus is the Naked – to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless – to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick – to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely – to be loved.
Jesus is the Unwanted – to be wanted.
Jesus is the Leper – to wash his wounds.
How we can say we love God who we do not see if we don’t love our neighbor who we do see. The only way to do this is to pray and especially to pray for the people we cannot accept.
All these years of our life Christ has remained anonymous in those around us. Those who need a word of hope, those who want to be loved and often we are too busy, those who need more clothing for winter. Almost all of the works of mercy are included in this gospel. So do we do some of them, any of them? It is not our intentions but our concrete deeds that are important and how we do them, hopefully for the sake of the gospel.
Where else is Christ present in the world around us? We hear the words every Sunday: This is my body given up for you; this is my blood shed for you. Don’t take it for granted. Hopefully the virus has helped us to see what a great gift we always have in the Eucharist.