CHRIST LIVES ON

Happy Monday, Dear Fellow Aloysians!

Today, I would like to share with you an excerpt from Father Al's book, "The Starved and the Silent."

CHRIST LIVES ON in the world today and exerts his influence upon it in three ways:

1) the Eucharist,

2) the inspired word of Scripture, and

3) the person of the poor.

He who made us dwells among us. He can be found not only in the silence of our tabernacles and in the solemn language of our sacred book, but also on our streets and in our marketplaces. The living Christ is as close to us as the nearest poor person.

We see this profound, yet unnamed mystery of the divine indwelling of the poor prepared in the Old Testament. One third of the Psalms revolve about the poverty, affliction, and suffering of men, and the psalmists bring out with lyric tenderness the proximity of God to those in these conditions. The prophets also, the forerunners of Christ, were inspired to associate themselves in a special way with the poor.

Christ, who is the fulfillment and culmination of all that went before, not only associates himself with the poor: He identifies himself with them. Christ proclaimed this truth in a most solemn way in the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew because he places it at the end of the last of the five great sermons of Christ which form the framework of his entire Gospel. Christ is speaking here of the final judgment and he concludes:

"Then the King will say to those who are on his right hand, 'Come you that have received a blessing from my Father, take possession of the Kingdom which has been prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food, thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you brought me home, naked, and you clothed me; sick, and you cared for me; a prisoner, and you came to me.' Whereupon the just will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw thee hungry, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When was it that we saw thee a stranger and brought thee home, or naked, and clothed thee? When was it that we saw thee sick or in prison and came to thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Believe me, when you did it to one of the least of my brothers here, you did it to me.'"

May we have a Fruitful and Productive week ahead of us as we serve the Lord with joy!

Your Fellow Aloysian,

Jaizy Tanawe

P.S. Feel free to comment and share this article to our fellow Brothers & Sisters & even to your family and friends as well! God Bless us all!