Feb. 27: Monday in the First Week of Lent
Read
Matthew 25:31–46 | Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
Pray
Almighty God, through your Holy Spirit you created unity in the midst of diversity. We acknowledge that human diversity is an expression of your manifold love for your creation. We confess that in our brokenness as human beings we turn diversity into a source of alienation, injustice, oppression, and wounding. Empower us to recognize and celebrate differences as your great gift to the human family. Enable us to be the architects of understanding, of respect, and love; through Christ, the ground of all unity, we pray. Amen.
Reflect
It is hard sometimes to see the face of Christ in the other. It is difficult to love others when it seems as though they oppose your very being. Following Jesus isn’t easy.
We find it easier sometimes to admire Jesus rather than to follow him. To admire Jesus means that he makes no great demands of our lives and that our faith is about comforting ourselves. But to follow means that our lives must be transformed and oriented towards the other, modeled after the One who commanded us to love our enemies.
This journey of following Jesus is not for the fainthearted, but rather for the heart willing to be transformed.
Do
Pray for someone with whom you disagree. Look for the good. Seek to recognize the face of Christ in that person.
Tags: 2023 Lenten Meditations