"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" 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."   Matthew 25:35-40 
                                                                                                                                     
I remember hearing this reading as a child and being moved by it.  To some extent, I was a bit worried because I certainly wasn't as nice as Jesus was telling me to be, but to a greater extent, I was impressed by the underlying message.  If I was nice to someone, then I was being nice to Jesus?  It made me think and it spurred in me a desire to help others that has lasted a lifetime.

I spent twenty five years as a nurse practitioner providing care to individuals experiencing homelessness.  It was fulfilling and challenging, and I was not always as kind and giving as Christ was hoping I would be.  What I was, though, was welcoming to a group of people often marginalized in our society and who feel unwelcome in many places, even churches.  I came to know them as unique individuals and that brought more blessings to me than it did to them.    

I am now retired but I volunteer with people in need from River Falls, Hudson and
surrounding areas.  They too are a challenge because their needs are so great and not
often easily met.  But we feed them, give them something to drink, offer them clothing and, most importantly, invite them in.  We treat each one as the child of God that he or she is, and know that this is what Jesus meant in the words above.

We are facing challenging times right now. There are many of us who want to help our
brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us, but feel overwhelmed by the depth of their needs and the limitations of our resources.  I am convinced that if we trust in the Lord to guide us, we will find the way to help them and, in doing this, help ourselves to follow Christ's teaching.  As Christians we have no choice but to treat every person in need as though each one is Jesus asking us personally for our help.  That is what these words in Matthew say to me, and have since I was a child.

Prayer:  Lord, help us follow Your example of helping all those in need, not just those who are like us.  Help us to remember to ask those important words "What would Jesus do?" when faced with those who need our aid.  Remind us daily of our own abundant blessings and help us to share them with all of Your children.  Amen.