Gospel Thought for Today
11th November: Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-40
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 the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection:
You did it for me.
Before he was baptized, St Martin served as a soldier in the Roman military. A story goes that, as a young soldier, he met an unclothed beggar. It was cold. Martin cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. That night, he had a vision of Christ telling him, “Martin, a mere catechumen (someone receiving instruction on the Christian faith) has clothed me.” That was the turning point of his conversion from a soldier of a worldly empire to a soldier of a heavenly empire. St Martin’s vision echoes today’s Gospel. Through baptism we become heirs of His Kingdom. However, that does not stop there. At a time when “Me, Mine, and Myself” has been the buzz word for many, Jesus reminds us to see and tend to Him in those who are hungry, thirsty, naked, ill, in prison, or a stranger.
- How do you practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy?
- How can you help end poverty in your community and in the world?
- How do you see yourself “when the Son of Man comes in His glory”?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Martin of Tours, help us to be sensitive to the needs of others so that we may be worthy to receive the inheritance You have prepared for us. Amen.
