Inherit the Kingdom

February 27, 2012

Monday of the First Week of Lent

"You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove him, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Lev 19:15-18

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.' Matthew 25:34-36

Piety

Father, if we truly believe it when we say that your words are Spirit and Life, then give us what we need to bring those words to life. Give us the sense of justice and mercy to forgive those who wrong us. Give us the prudence to know your way from our way. Give us the fortitude to overcome the obstacles in our way. Give us the temperance to control our ego and desires. With these virtues, help us then live lives of faith, hope and charity for your honor. Amen.

Study

Imagine if our lives were lived according to the letter of the law in both these readings today. There might be no reason to watch any of the reality television shows which prey on the weaknesses of people, catch participants gossiping about each other, and seek to vote each other off the proverbial island.

Imagine if our primary and general elections were about ideas and vision only and not personal destruction and negative campaigning.

Imagine if the society of Matthew 25 was a reality. Then maybe that bumper sticker from the 1970's would ring true: It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber. But it would not be just schools -- it would include hospital and homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and drug clinics and the entire range of charities that help us help others.

Action:

As we enter our first full week of Lent, there are many ways you can spend your time. Part of Matthew 25 encourages us to visit the prisoners at the moments when they are most alone, isolated and afraid.

Mason Nottingham is a friend and member of my parish. For as long as I have known him, Mason has always been an advocate for social justice to all based on Matthew 25, especially for just conditions in the prisons and jails of Virginia and Fairfax County. He is working with CURE at the state and national level and wants to involve the Virginia Catholic Conference, the diocese, SALT and nearby universities on these issues.

He is seeking volunteers to assist in advocating on several themes including: the extreme use of jails and prisons, overuse of solitary confinement, more use of community corrections, reentry after release, sentencing Policy, overcrowding of prisons, drug courts, mental health courts, juvenile offenders, geriatric imprisonment and parole policies.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact him at MGNottingham at cox dot net or call 703-323-5726.