Monday of the First Week of Lent - Reflection

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." (Leviticus 19:1-2)

Today’s readings set the tone for us for this season of Lent. The reading from Leviticus goes on to tell us what not to do. The reading mentions specific actions such as lying, stealing, spreading slander, and other negative actions.

Then Jesus in the parable takes a positive approach. Yes, he tells us what to do, but more importantly how to act. We are to treat everyone we meet the same way we would treat Jesus. The problem for us on a daily basis is that we do not usually recognize the person in front of us as Jesus. If we knew it was actually Jesus, then we would most likely act differently.

There are ways of acting so that we will not miss Jesus in our midst. We can care without calculation. That is, we can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. without considering what we will get in return for doing the good deed. We can also be proactive. That is whenever we see someone in need, we can be of help without waiting to be asked.

May our Lenten season be one where we grow deeper in love with Jesus because we have recognized Jesus, not just in the people that surround us, but more especially in those who are hurting - the hungry, thirsty, those who are ill or mistreated, the lonely. If we really open our eyes, each of us can recognize someone in need.