Monday, 2/18/13
Let me say
something about both readings, starting with the familiar Gospel parable in
which God at the end of the world will be
like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. We will be among
the sheep welcomed into his kingdom if we have consistently cared for the
needy.
It is helpful for us to see this parable as one of three in
Chapter Twenty-five of Matthew’s Gospel. The first of the three says God will
see our lives as having been successful if at the end we have oil in our lamps,
or God’s grace in our hearts. The second criterion by which we will be judged
is on the use we have made of our talents. Even though we may have years before Judgment
Day it is helpful for us now to check on how we stand. Are we in the state of
grace, are we using our abilities for good, and are we habitually concerned
with helping those in need.
What makes the first reading distinct is its repetition of
the phrase “I am the Lord.” We all live in a covenant relationship with God. A
covenant is a fixed relationship by which the parties become alike. There are
two kinds of covenants, and they have the legal names of Parity Covenants, and
Suzerainty Covenants. A Parity Covenant is a relationship such as marriage in
which two people can come together only if both sides of the marriage gives up
traits that keep the husband and wife from uniting. A Suzerainty Covenant is
one where the superior partner cannot change to accommodate himself to the
lower party. That is the way it is with God. He cannot stoop to become like us inferior
creatures, so we must keep changing to become like God. We must be holy because he is
holy. He is the Lord.
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