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I was naked and you clothe

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
    ‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
    ‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
    ‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’

Reflection:
In this passage, Jesus reveals that our eternal destiny is measured by our simple, practical compassion toward others. He identifies completely with the vulnerable, teaching that how we treat those in need—feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and imprisoned—is how we treat Christ himself. True faith is lived not only in prayer, but in tangible acts of mercy. It invites us to see the face of Jesus in every person suffering or forgotten, and to respond with love.

Question:
Who is one person in your daily life or community who might feel unseen or in need, and how can you show them care this week?

Prayer:
Lord, open my eyes to see you in those who are hungry, lonely, sick, or forgotten. Give me a compassionate heart and willing hands to serve you in serving them. Amen.







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