MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25;40)

FIRST READING - 19:1-2, 11-18

A reading from the Book of Leviticus

The LORD said to Moses,

"Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

"You shall not steal.

You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.

You shall not swear falsely by my name,

thus profaning the name of your God.

I am the LORD.

"You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.

You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.

You shall not curse the deaf,

or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,

but you shall fear your God.

I am the LORD.

"You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.

Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,

but judge your fellow men justly.

You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;

nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.

I am the LORD.

"You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.

Though you may have to reprove him,

do not incur sin because of him.

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD."

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 25:31-46

From the Gospel according to Matthew

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."

MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

From the beginning of creation, God created heaven and earth. He created man in His image. The image of God in each person never disappears, and the Words of God will never change.

Today's Word of God tells everyone that there will be the final day of judgment, a day when everyone must appear before the judgment seat of God.

On that day, He will sit on a high throne, surrounded by angels serving Him. All the people of the world will have to appear before Him.

God always loves mankind. He sent His Son to earth to become a human being to redeem sins, save mankind from death, and deliver them from the captivity of Satan. He always accompanies and teaches mankind at all times and in all places. God teaches mankind that to have eternal life and to attain happiness and glory with His Father, everyone must live by the law of love that God gives. That is to fear God alone and love our fellow human beings as ourselves.

Today's Word of God teaches everyone to know that when we treat our fellow human beings, from the smallest person to the poorest person with love, with giving, and with self-sacrificing, without distinguishing between good and bad people, without distinguishing between righteous and sinful people, then we are helping God ourselves, because everyone is the image of God.

As for those who do not know how to love our fellow human beings, for those who are selfish, divisive, and faction, only helping those who love us or only helping those who help us, that is falsehood. It is the work of Satan. God invites everyone to follow His teachings and love everyone. Because when we stand before the judgment seat on the day of final judgment, God will reward those who live and follow His teachings.

As for those who do not practice and do not live according to the teachings of God, they will also be judged by God. They will be cast into hell, the fire that never goes out, and will be with Satan, who is their lord. Because when they lived, they did not live according to God’s teachings, which are to love everyone, to know how to give, to know how to help the poorest, the most destitute, and the smallest in this world, and to help sinners return to God.

God always loves, forgives, and calls on everyone to:

-Live and follow the teachings of God to attain eternal happiness with His Father in Heaven.

-Do not follow your own will, do not cause division, do not live in hatred, do not cause war, do not be arrogant; instead, live in love, because in His Kingdom there is only love.

-Live as God calls us: to live holy, for God is holy.

God also revealed that there will certainly be a judgment on the last day, there will be a separation between the sheep and the goats and there will be a distinction between good and evil people.

Thanks be to God. Amen.