The least of these...

“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.’


“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’


“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’


“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’"
~ Matthew 25:40-45

Each day as I drive around the city I see families trying to recover from the storm that hit us a month ago now. I can't even begin to imagine what others elsewhere, like Puerto Rico, are experiencing.

Earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and floods have created a whole new group of people that can be seen as "the least of these."

The need we are seeing can be so overwhelming that we turn our heads away because the images are too painful. It's as if every corner you turn there is someone holding a sign as a cry for help.

It begins to paint a clearer picture of how Christ must have seen the world. It is not simoly the obvious need for those who were hungry, naked or imprisoned. It was also about knowing the hearts of those whom he met, and the struggle for many to even find a way to reach out.


Today we witness the least of these in so many more ways.


While we struggle to decide how we can help one another, rememeber this, it can be as simple as a prayer for one another, a hug for someone who is hurting, or simply stopping what you are doing and listen.

Jesus reminds us as well that the poor will be with us always. Finding ways to help one another has become as varied as those we see now as the least of these.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017