Many of us are familiar with the criteria of service that our Lord gives us in Matthew 25 for inheriting the kingdom. Those who inherit the kingdom are those who serve Him through ministering to the needs of those around us.
Mat 25:35, 36 - “For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.”
Notice the response that these just men and women will give the Lord:
Mat 25:37-39 - “...Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee: thirsty and gave thee drink? Or when did we see thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and covered thee?
Or when did we see thee sick or in prison and came to thee?”
It is striking that this spirit of is completely “disinterested”; that is it is a service that is so completely selfless that it doesn’t even recognise when it is serving. Oh, for an attitude of service that comes so naturally that I don’t even think about it.
These words of our Holy Father in his papal address on 6 November 2010 should inspire us all to serve in this way, because it is the way of Christ who came to serve and give His own life as a ransom for many (Mt 20:28):
“For those disciples who seek to follow and imitate Christ, service of neighbour is no mere option but an essential part of their being. It is a service that is not measured by worldly standards of what is immediate, material or apparent, but one that makes present the love of God to all in every way and bears witness to Him even in the simplest of actions.”
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