Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 10, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘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 will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
Honestly, thinking about being judged makes me feel uncomfortable and even fearful. In moments like this, I remind myself of the one thing that our entire faith revolves around—God is love. Today’s gospel is not trying to scare us into action, but it reminds us that our eternal happiness ultimately depends on love and that our growth in holiness occurs within a community.
There have been times when I could clearly see myself performing works of mercy. There was the summer in college I spent working with migrant farm workers in Idaho, or the charity hospital patients I encountered daily in my dermatology residency training. Other times in my life, it hasn’t been as clear who the “poor,” “hungry,” or “naked” are.
It is a spiritual temptation to daydream about serving in a more visible way as I head to my young children’s school for the fourth time that day to pick up someone from one of their many activities in the middle of cooking dinner and trying to make sure that everyone has their homework done. In this very moment, however mundane it feels, I’m still called to grow in holiness and to perfect my love.
Dorothy Day once answered the question, “What is the sense of our small effort?” She responded, “They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words, and deeds is like that.”
Today, let us remember that where we currently are is where our influence is. There are literally no situations where we can’t shine Christ’s light. Whether we are ministering in a prison or driving a football practice carpool, we can stir ourselves out of complacency and ask if we are humbly giving of ourselves as best we can.
Prayer
Lord, give us the love and the generosity to reach out to serve our brothers and sisters in need, so in loving and serving them, we may love and serve you, and thus one day hear you welcome us into your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The 40 Martyrs were Roman soldiers who were put to death in Sebaste, which is in Armenia today. The account of these martyrs is well-documented historically, and inspired great faithfulness in the ancient Church.
Around the year 320, the emperor of the eastern Roman empire, Lucinius, issued a decree ordering every Christian to renounce their faith or face death. When this decree was announced to the Roman army, 40 soldiers of different nationalities—all part of a famous “Thundering Legion”—refused to comply with the order to sacrifice to Roman gods. They were brought to trial in Sebaste, and the governor there threatened them with disgrace if they continued, and promised promotions for any who renounced their faith. They all stood firm.
The governor then devised a plan to test their faith. They were to be placed upon a frozen lake, naked and exposed to the howling wind, until they either changed their minds or froze to death. The 40 did not wait to be stripped, but undressed themselves, and encouraged one another in the ordeal. A fire and warm baths were prepared at the edge of the lake, and they were told that they could come in from the ice and warm themselves if they turned away from Christianity.
For three days and nights, the group endured. One young soldier decided to leave the group for the warmth of the baths, but the shock to his system killed him. One of the guards, seeing this disgrace, was inspired by the resolve of the remaining 39. When he was off-duty, he fell asleep by the fire and had a dream in which angels descended upon the soldiers on the lake and crowned them. He counted only 39 crowns, and decided to join them. He put down his arms and cloak, proclaimed himself a Christian, and walked out to the group on the ice, bringing the number of martyrs back to 40.
By the morning of the fourth day, most were dead, and the remaining were killed. All the bodies were burned in a furnace, and their ashes thrown into a river. The Christian community recovered some of the charred remains.
The family of St. Basil the Great—whose parents and three siblings are all saints—were among those who helped to gather what remained of these martyrs. The witness of these soldiers moved this holy family, as well as many other Christians, to greater faithfulness.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who froze to death on an ice-covered lake instead of renouncing your faith—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
