Working with the Word

Focusing the Gospel

Key words and phrases: When the Son of Man comes; Come, you who are blessed; you did for me; you did not do for me, eternal punishment, eternal life

To the point: “Who am I?” This question Jesus put to his disciples long ago remains a question for all times and all disciples. To be faithful rocks upon which the church is built, we must know who Jesus is for us, listen to what he teaches us, and guard against anything prevailing against his church. Peter and Paul's faithful and fruitful discipleship rested on the rock of their knowing Jesus. Our own faithful and fruitful discipleship rests on this same rock.

Connecting the Gospel …

… to the First Reading: Ezekiel portrays a shepherd God who looks after and cares for the lost, the strayed, the injured, the sick. As God cares for us, so are we to care for others.

… to experience: We tend to identify as “least” those who are distant from our daily living, for example, victims of famine in a foreign land. But those in need are actually very near us; wherever there is human need, there is Christ and we are called to respond.

**From Saint Louis University