What More Can I Do? (Revised)
The Parable of the Talents dealt with the obligation of people who have received special gifts to increase them, add “interest" by applying and developing them. Today in the Judgment of the Nations referring to ordinary Christians rather than just the leadership, there is also the message to do more for King Jesus, in all activities, in whatever we do for those in need. We can do it by asking ourselves “What else" type questions.We don’t earn our way to heaven by doing good deeds, but they are an important result of our total faithfulness to Jesus. (Hare, Douglas, ed., Interpretation: Matthew. Louisville, John Knox Press, 1993.)
Kings or monarchs in ancient times had several functions. They promulgated and enforced laws, sat in judgment, and protected their subjects, who were to remain loyal and make such payments as were required of them to maintain the kingship.
In today’s reading, the king functions as a judge. He judges all the nations and the individuals within them.
He divides people into sheep and goats. Sheep are in general more gentle and cooperative than goats. However, both the sheep and the goats did not fully realize or understand the goodness or evil of all of their deeds or, especially, their inaction. The sheep had to ask the king when they did the works of mercy for the king, works that were pointed out in the reading. So did the goats, whom the king accused of negligence toward the needy. Neither the sheep nor the goats realized that what they did for anyone in need, they did for the king, who represents Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel refers to the least of the king’s brothers as needing mercy from us all. In Matthew’s Gospel brothers means not only the family relationship, or fellow Christians, but also everyone in need. (5:22, 23, 24, 47:7, 7:3,4,5) When Jesus said “Love your neighbor” and explained who neighbors are, it is clear he meant all persons, as does the word “brothers” here, especially the Gentile Christians.
There are spiritual as well as physical needs in others that we must attend to. The examples Jesus cites today include some of both, emphasizing the physical such as hunger, thirst and nakedness, whereas welcoming and visiting not only have a physical component, but are forms of encouragement, recognition or consolation.
What else do people hunger for besides food? They hunger for signs of appreciation, that they are not taken for granted. Compliments and thank-you’s go a long way to satisfy that hunger or thirst.If someone does something well, tell them so and they will be better able to identify their talents.
Compliments need not be reserved for only exceptional deeds. Just say, I really liked (whatever it is.)
Jesus mentions those who thirst also in today’s reading. Where else is thirst mentioned? In the Beatitudes, the blessed thirst for justice. The opportunity to obtain clean drinking water is a fundamental human need, with many deaths and illnesses resulting from lack of access to potable water. To ignore these people in need would be an injustice.
Think also about what Jesus says about thirst in the different Gospels. When he met the Woman at the Well, he asked her for a drink, not having a bucket to lower into the well himself. I’m sure Jesus asked in a polite, caring way with his tone of voice. Even though the response likely sounded rude, asking why a Jew was talking to a Samaritan because they didn’t get along and shouldn’t be seeen talking to each other, Jesus is patient and caring, offering her “living water” so she would never thirst again from lack of righteousness because she accepted God’s grace. We too can distribute the fruits of God’s grace by our patience, caring, and gentleness in everyday interactions. By so doing, we leave the realm of exclusive focus on ourselves and our needs to become an agent of God’s Providence for all. (Van Kaam, Adrian, The Woman at the Well. Denville, New Jersey, Dimension Books, 1976.)
It is often lamented that resources are scarce because of the world economy now. Still, we can offer the same percentage of our income as we have been doing. However, there are additional gifts we can provide that cost nothing. When else did Jesus mention thirst? Jesus on the Cross said “I thirst.” What else did Jesus say on the Cross? We can note that he forgave his tormenters and executioner. “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” So forgiveness is a free gift, an act of mercy, something else we can do if we have not yet forgiven someone. Just forgo revenge and treat the person as normally as you can.
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We can forgive injustice toward ourselves when people address us angrily or rudely, as the Woman at the Well might have done. Instead of responding in a hostile manner, we can show forgiveness by responding in a caring way, as Jesus surely did. We might say, “I’m sorry you feel that way,” which is not an apology but a recognition of another’s feelings.
Sometimes salespeople call on the phone and offer something we don’t want or need. It’s tempting to just hang up or dismiss them brusquely. I’ve done that, and shortly thereafter gotten a call in which the salesperson hung up on ME. Find a way to end the conversation without offending the salespersons, perhaps complimenting them for their presentation or persistence, but politely insisting that you are passing on the offer.
The king says to welcome strangers. What more can we do than we are doing now to welcome strangers? If we don’t know a person’s name, that person is in a sense still a stranger to us.Take the initiative to introduce yourself, find a way to remember people’s names, give them recognition.
Giving people the gift of remembering their names is a form of recognition most folks appreciate. “I’m Fr. Kevin. What’s your name please?” The answer from a person I had seen daily but never learned her name was Katherine or Cathy. Since I forget names easily, I imagine a cat on this woman;s shoulder. Now I just have to remember to say “Cathy” and not Cat! There is also a man, a janitor who passes by my room each day and whose name I had forgotten. I said “I can’t remember your name. Can you tell me what it is? The answer was “Sure, it’s Jim.” Since James is my legal first name I should have no trouble remembering it now. There just has to be a willingness to bear any embarrassment involved in asking for names. Sometimes people will only give their first names, and that’s O.K. They might not even respond, and that’s O.K. too. Try again another time.
With our counsel or advice we can help people who make mistakes. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit and the perfection of prudence. It costs no money. I noticed a parishioner say something like SUdan instead of SuDAN for the name of the African country. He repeated that pronunciation on other occasions.When I asked why he said it that way he replied that he did’t even realize he was saying SUdan and thanked me for bringing it to his attention. Just say: “How come you do this or that?” and you may be able to help someone by simply bringing something to someone’s attention. You may even find out that YOU were mistaken!
You might also say, “Did you mean X instead of Y?” Discretion is needed so as not to act in a “picky” manner. If the mistake is about an important point, correction is needed. Otherwise it might be tactful not to correct someone. The reaction will indicate if you did the right thing.
The king said, “I was naked and you clothed me,” referring to those who are too poor to afford adequate clothing. Clothing protects people from the elements. Ask a “What else" question: What else do people need protection for or from? An immaterial gift such as a good reputation also needs to be protected. Sometimes an accusation is so horrible, like child rape, that we wrongly assume whoever is accused is guilty. Perhaps it is because the accuser takes serious risks in making that accusation, especially if it false. In addition, even potentially negative comments about another that are true may not be necessary and should not be mentioned. If a person has seen a psychiatrist, for example, most others, assuming they have no specific right, don’t need to know, especially if it was a long time ago and no longer relevant to the present situation. Seeing a psychiatrist may be a good thing, but misinterpreted.
We are to visit the sick and prisoners, this Gospel reading tells us. When someone complains of an ailment, it is good courtesy to follow up and ask about it, even making a special visit to see how the person is coming along. For prisoners, it may be difficult to see them, but you can pray for them, and hope for their rehabilitation, as well as keeping others at risk out of prison in the first place by strengthening the family and educational system to stress personal responsibility, instead of just blaming others for problems like the high drop-out and imprisonment rate.
Addicts are in a sense prisoners, too, to their habits. We serve as a way of distribution for God’s counsel. Refusing to give up on addicts and being willing to talk with them without enabling them is a good policy. Prisoners and even those with mental illnesses are still responsible for what they do when they have the capacity to tell right from wrong. We can help them by teaching them to be responsible, a goal shared by prisons also. It starts with good example.
Who else besides possibly a prisoner tries to avoid responsibility? Some do by claiming there is no free will. Someone might say, “Natural Family Planning (NFP) won’t work for me because I would have to refrain from sex during the wife’s fertile period. That’s about ten days a month." We could provide the gift of counsel by saying, “When the wife is sick I’m sure that anyone would refrain.” Also there is reason to try NFP when necessary because couples using it have far fewer divorces than those who use contraception: five vs. fifty per cent. Finally, NFP is just as effective as artificial methods of family planning. Just check it out in a search engine.
Remember, then, to ask yourself “What else can I do?” and similar questions with else. Ask God daily in prayer and examination of conscience to reveal others’ needs to you so you can help them. Be willing to take the risk of refusal and back off, especially when someone doesn’t need help, and tells you so. Observe what is happening around you to develop sensitivity to others’ needs and to share. Get to know and remember the names of people you come in contact with. Protect their reputations by refraining from gossip and any unnecessary, unproven or irrelevant negative comments about anyone. Insist on personal responsibility and free will. Keep in mind that whatever you do for anyone else in need, you do for Jesus Himself.
