Tim Mannello

Williamsport

It’s so plain. When Jesus said: “Whatever you do to these the least of these my brothers and sisters, you do to me.” He was referring to all those who are shunned and excluded from participating fully in our social, economic and political life, because they are different from us.

In Jesus’s times, the least of his brothers and sisters were the racially and religiously different Samaritans; women who were the property of their fathers before marriage and of their husbands afterwards; lepers and other excluded as unclean; the Romans, his people’s oppressors; and the poor, and all others pushed to the margins of society.

Jesus told his listeners that when they mistreated outcasts, they mistreated Him.

Today, the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters are those who are the most frequent victims of bigotry, hatred, short-changing, lying, cheating and scamming in our society: Women, Black people, Hispanic people, immigrants, the disabled, the elderly, our political opponents,”unclean” people like those with HIV/AIDS, those of other or no religion, those who speak, dress, adorn themselves or wear their hair differently than we do, customers/clients/patients whose problems we diagnose as well as fix, taxpayers who report all their income, Jews, Asian people, ethnic groups other than ours, gay, trans, drag and all the other objects of our prejudice and intolerance. The voice of Christ reverberates throughout the ages: “Whatever you do to these least of these my brothers and sisters, you do to me.” Mt 25:40

What Jesus said about eating his flesh and drinking his blood is equally true of His command to love everyone: “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?” J 6:60.

But as the Gospel according to Matthew warns us: “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” Mt. 7:21