It has certainly been a long time for this Country Boy to write on here. A lot of life has happened... but I have felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to channel my writings and start publishing on here again.
I was recently looking on Pinterest for some Cricut Vinyl ideas for my Special Education classroom. I stumbled upon a sign that said, "Are you one of the inn crowd or one of the stable few?" This got me thinking...
... When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were turned down for a room at the inn because it was full and Jesus had to be born in a stable and laid in a manger of hay.
What does it mean to be one of the inn-crowd? Are you one of the many who turn the Holy Family away? Do you not choose to see Jesus in everyone that you can?
What does it mean to be one of the stable few? Do you make room for Jesus in your heart? Do you live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy?
Matthew 25:37-40:
"Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and visit you?" And the king [read: Jesus] will say to them in reply, "Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me."
Jesus asks us, as the "stable few" to perform the works of mercy out of love for Him. They are:
Spiritual Works of Mercy:
- To admonish the sinner
- To instruct the ignorant
- To counsel the doubtful
- To comfort the sorrowful
- To bear wrongs patiently
- To forgive injuries
- To pray for all the living and the dead
Corporal Works of Mercy:
- To feed the hungry
- To give drink to the thirsty
- To clothe the naked
- To visit the imprisoned
- To shelter the homeless
- To visit the sick
- To bury the dead
When we love Jesus, we will share that love with others and do these things for "the least of our brothers and sisters."
Dorothy Day said, "You can only love God as much as you love the person you love the least."
Let's not be part of the inn crowd. They are self-serving and want only to be part of the popular crowd. Let's be part of the stable few on this celebration of the great Feast of Epiphany 2022 and take care of God's children.
