Lent Day 6: Go Beyond the Minimum

Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.

In Matthew’s community, the least brothers of Jesus were the missionaries and the poor Christians. Jesus’ words invite the community to go beyond the minimum standards of God’s law as written in the Decalogue. Living as a Christian is not only about refraining oneself from stealing and killing, but also caring for the life of others by giving food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty.

In our world today, the least includes farmers struggling with droughts, the poor hit by typhoons, and also endemic plants and animals losing their habitats. Like Matthew’s community, we are called to go beyond the minimum standards; it is not only helping the drought victims and conserving national parks, but also developing a life style suitable for the environmental sustainability. Ask ourselves: Do we turn off the lights when we go out of our room? Do we finish the food on our plates?

Reflection Questions:

What are the minimum standards of our actions toward the least in our society?
What contributions can I give to the environmental sustainability in the level of my personal life?

Bayu Risanto, S.J. is a graduate student in Atmospheric Science and Meteorology at Creighton University, Omaha NE, U.S.A.