Expressing love

“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.”      

Matthew 25:40 NRSV

How can you tell if you really love God? Is there any way of knowing whether you’re on the road to holiness? Today’s Gospel from Matthew, the story of the Last Judgment, gives us the answers by putting an equal sign between your love for God and your love for your neighbor.

Is your neighbor hungry? Feed him. Is your sibling thirsty? Give her a drink. Do you have relatives who are ill? Visit them. These simple common-sense acts of love toward others equal love of God. Your love for God is measured by the concrete love expressed to your neighbor. Do we take seriously the fact that what we do for one of the least, we do for God? Conversely, do we realize that what you do for God affects ourselves and the rest of the world?

Will someone know God’s compassion today because of me?  The Christian life is one of service; its reward is heaven. Someday we will hear “Come, you that 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 something to drink.”  (Mt. 25:35)