The Least of These - Deacon Brendan Brides

A discussion arose about a colorful individual who had died recently. A person who stirred every possible emotion in the hearts of the people he dealt with - suffice to say, there are those who would miss him and those who would not. Then the question was posed: " do you think xxx is in Heaven?" At first I was tempted to put my ten dollar bill on the "no" option as an answer to that question but then I though about  what Jesus said "for as you judge so too will you be judged"  (Mathew  7:1) - I quickly put my money away.

But still I wondered: is he in heaven or is he not? Further on in Mathew's gospel Jesus talks about separating the sheep from the goats on the final day. As I see it, the challenge for all of us is not necessarily to become a perfect sheep but to avoid, at all costs, becoming a goat. The best way to avoid this detriment is described in Mathew (25-40) when Jesus says: "whatever you do for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you do for me.

Lent is a great time for us to adjust our focus on the goal ahead and to hone the skills necessary for achieving that goal. Lent is also a great time for us to reflect on our outer-self; how we act towards and how we treat “the least” among us. Let us take the remaining days of lent and use them to affirm our our position of being worthy candidates for eternal residence in Heaven through our thoughts, words and actions to all. Ten bucks says our efforts will pay off handsomely!