hell on earth:day four
[Read & meditate on Matthew 25.31-46. Which people allowed others to live in hell on earth and which ones tried to bring heaven to earth? How?]
I guess it is a pretty big deal to Jesus that we notice the people around us who have needs and that we respond with love and compassion. I heard someone say once, that as Christians the question isn’t, “Should I help?” We already know that we should. The question is really, “How can I help?” I am responsible to do something about every situation that I am aware of. I don’t think that this means that I have to throw myself completely into every need, but I can help make others aware. I can ensure that those in need are helped. The danger is that rather than immersing myself into their lives, I merely become a mobilizer. I think there needs to be a balance between entering the need and bringing others with. I can’t feed every hungry person. I can’t provide water for every thirsty person. I can’t welcome every stranger, etc. But I can feed some. I can provide water for some, and so on. And then, I can invite others to join me and to fill in the gaps.
It seems like the people who worked so hard to be religious, yet never loved into the lives of the people around them–no matter how well they “followed the rules,” they spread hell, not heaven.
It makes me wonder. What am I spreading?
The people who brought heaven to earth were the ones who wouldn’t brush away the cries of a hungry infant, who woulndn’t stand idely by as people shivered in the cold or keeled over under intense hunger pains. These people brought heaven to earth so they ended up in heaven.
The people who were okay with the idea of the innocent suffering unjustly were those who were okay with bringing hell to earth. Ironically, their everlasting punishment was what they tried to bring about in the first place.