MINDSET

Matthew 25:31-46

True spirituality is an inner work. We put on the mind of Christ, then our actions proceed from that mind to be the image of Christ. It becomes a natural way of life. It is a gift for anyone who will accept it and work it out in their daily life.

St. John of the Cross gives the following advice: "First, let us have a habitual desire to imitate Christ in everything that we do, conforming ourselves to His life; upon which life we must meditate, so that we may know how to imitate it and to behave in all things as Christ would have done. (AS I, 13,3)

This must not be merely exterior and material imitation of Jesus' acts. We must endeavor to enter into the interior dispositions of His soul, so as to make these dispositions our own, according to the counsel of St. Paul "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). In this way, the imitation of Jesus is based on what is most profound and vital, that is, His intimate dispositions, which constitute the interior principles of his actions. This putting on the "mind" of Christ is within the reach of all, whatever our state or condition of life, [Ital. mine], whereas the exterior imitations of the life of Jesus can never be complete, since it always varies according to the circumstances in which one finds oneself. (Divine Intimacy, "I Am the Way", Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., p. 167.)

In Matthew 25, the King points out that "the sheep" (his people) have done their good deeds without even being consciously aware of it. He is not praising the big programs that everyone acknowledges. He is praising the unconscious acts done in His name. In other words resulting from His life and disposition within us. The people respond "When did we do this?" It is not the grand projects but the lifestyle he is commending. Sharing that sandwich with someone at the end of a very lean month. Visiting that elderly nursing home or homebound relative or friend. Welcoming that new neighbor with a covered dish, or taking a casserole to a grieving family. Attending the funeral of a friend in order to let the family know how valued their loved one was. Including that unconnected friend at a holiday dinner--the natural, normal things that seems so ordinary that they hardly deserve attention. It surprises us to think that these are the things that Jesus praises.

And it is these kinds of things for which one does not need to be young. Maybe we no longer have it in us to start a prison ministry, or direct a soup kitchen, or volunteer at our local public school. But we all have it in us to listen to others (especially members of our own family or residential community) with compassion. We can share what we have--especially our kind words, wisdom, hope and courage. We can share our stories of God's faithfulness and His marvelous intervention in our lives. We can make it easy for those who are trying to help us by being unselfish, uncomplaining, appreciative and adaptable. We can learn to accept gracefully the limitations that come our way. We can cheerfully express our gratitude for life and all the abundance that God has given.

This disposition comes not as a striving to do the right thing, but as an outward flow of our inner Christ-like mind. We can receive that mind as a gift by being in His presence, absorbing his disposition through the work of the Holy Spirit, and learning and imitating His ways. May we all have the mindset of Christ. Amen.