March 2, Monday Lenten Weekday

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.--John 6:63

Mass readings: Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 / Matthew 25:31-46

The Face of Christ

In September 2007 I attended an international congress in Rome for Catholic prison chaplains. Its theme was ''Discovering the Face of Christ in Every Prisoner.'' The chaplains with whom I minister in prisons around New Zealand frequently tell me they don't just bring Jesus into the prison but find Him there. Prison chaplaincy is a voyage of discovery. Our Lord appears in the most unlikely people.

There are times even in ordinary life when I find it difficult to recognize the God in everyone I meet -- the attendant at the gas station, that fellow worker who gets on my nerves, a family member who rubs me the wrong way. But today's Gospel reminds me -- in clear terms -- that whatever I do to another human being I do to Christ. It's a sobering thought.

Prayer: Lord, keep my antenna tuned to Your presence in everyone I meet.