Lenten Reflections, Day Six, First Monday of Lent, Turning back to the teachings of Jesus

Day Six First Monday of Lent

Turning back to the teachings of Jesus

Matthew 25:40-45 New International Version (NIV)
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Jesus isn’t messing around. He puts it right out there.”Whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.” We have all these cultural Christians mostly in the Republican party in the United States who want to kick people off their health care, take away their food stamps, separate their children from them at the border, criminalize women’s health care, and cut “entitlement programs” so bigger tax cuts can go to the rich. The United States is certainly not a Christian nation, if by Christian we mean following the teachings of Jesus.

The time of Lent is a time of repentance, a time for getting back to basics, and turning away from the beliefs and practices which have led us astray from the teachings of Jesus. Jesus is telling us to give up our stingy ways and to share what we have for what we do for others we do for ourselves and for God. Nothing could be clearer, but in our politics and voting for our representatives we don’t listen and follow Jesus’ teachings.

Today, I will reach out to people struggling, oppressed, disenfranchised and share what I have with them. Today, I will take my responsibilities as a citizen in a democracy seriously and advocate for political representatives who actually follow the teachings of Jesus.