Hungry and Naked

“I was hungry and you gave me food...naked and you clothe me...” Matthew 25:35

How wonderful that there is a record of Jesus’ instructions and stories that we can read and read again. If we want to obey God, to learn about Him and His ways, we can do nothing better than to ponder His words and follow them. Today’s reading is especially fitting for Lent as it expounds on how important almsgiving is. It has an impact on where we will spend our eternal life. 

Jesus explains that what we do for the poor, we do for Him. When Taal Volcano was acting up, many people gave clothes, shoes, and other things. It was so sad because some of the things donated were very old, and could not be used anymore. And winter clothes and snow boots were useless to the refugees. Mother Teresa always said do not give our left overs to the poor, that we should not treat the poor like a garbage bag and give what we have no use for. We should be ashamed of ourselves if we gave Jesus, the King of Kings, an old rag to clothe Himself! 

St. Vincent de Paul, who dedicated his life serving the poor, wrote, “You will find that charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the bowl of soup and the full basket ... It is not enough to give us soup and bread ... You are the servant of the poor ... They are your masters, terribly sensitive and exacting you will see. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.”

I was listening to an online Lenten Retreat yesterday, and the lady speaker said that when we give alms to someone on the street, we should not just give and walk away, we should speak to them and ask their name. That way, we don’t just give them something to eat, we give them some dignity and care. H. Jackson Brown wrote in his “Life’s Little Instruction Book”, "Remember that everyone you meet is wearing a sign. It reads, 'Notice me. Make me feel important."