27 February 2023
Monday of the First Week of Lent
The reading for today from the Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the separation of the sheep and goats. Herding practices included the method of moving sheep and goats through a pasture during the summer and then at the end of the season they were gathered and separated. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with goats. In fact, goat milk provided an important protein staple for the nomdic groups of the middle east. The separation was an image that Jesus used to indicate how people will be differentiated at the end of time. What is most interesting about this passage, if taken alone, it would seem as if actions alone are sufficient alone to gain entry into eternal life, a sort of biblical justification of Pelagianism which held that we are saved entirely by our works. Here we see the hazard of looking at one passage of the scriptures out of context. The next story in the gospel of Mathew tells how his feet were anointed by a woman in the house of Simon. Jesus recognized this act as anticipation of his burial, and he noted the recognition of woman would be noted in all ages. Thus, in these two Matthean stories we see a reflection of the two fundamental commands of love of God and love of neighbor.