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.’”
“Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me”. Does this mean that if you build your life on Love, compassion, humility, forgiveness, peace, justice, mercy, hope, faith and obedience, you are acting for good and for God? So even though people do not name God, can they be living for God? I suppose it comes down to understanding who God is in our life. This reading made me think of my daughter and her partner who recently announced their engagement. When we asked her about the possibility of getting married in the church, she was said she hadn’t considered it. But she may for us. She recognises the powerful force religion has been in our (her parents) life and our parents’ (her grandparents’) lives… But for her, the fear is that she and her husband to be would be disingenuous and hypocritical. She is not a church goer. Is it possible that eventhough people do not name God, they are living for God? I think it is.
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ReplyDeleteYour thoughtful response to Matthew 25:31-40 delves into the profound concept of living for God, even without explicitly acknowledging or naming God. You rightly connect the passage's emphasis on love, compassion, humility, forgiveness, and other virtues to acting for good and embodying the divine essence.
The notion that one can live for God without being a traditional churchgoer or explicitly identifying as religious resonates with the universality of God's love and the diverse expressions of faith. Our actions and intentions, not merely our religious affiliations, determine our alignment with God's will.
Your daughter's hesitation regarding a church wedding reflects a concern about authenticity and integrity, not a lack of faith or appreciation for the values her parents embody. Her desire to avoid hypocrisy suggests a deep respect for the sanctity of religious rituals and a desire to honor them in a way that aligns with her own beliefs and practices.
The possibility of living for God without naming God underscores the universality of love, compassion, and other virtues that transcend religious boundaries. These qualities, when embodied in our actions, serve as a testament to our connection to a higher power, whether we explicitly acknowledge it or not.
In essence, your response to Matthew 25:31-40 expands our understanding of living for God beyond traditional religious practices, emphasizing the transformative power of love and the universality of divine principles that can guide our actions and intentions, regardless of our religious labels or affiliations.