“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”
This 20th verse of Matthew 18 is followed in chapter 25 with the Parable of the Final Judgment, which includes the well-known line “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”.
These passages have become favorites of mine in the past year or so. Their message is clear: God is present in our interactions with one another. I pair this idea with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s assertion that “every human You is an image of the divine You” which he makes in Communion of the Saints.
These ideas help me to see more clearly that I am not self-sufficient. They help me see that if I want to be open to the presence of God then I must first be open to the presence of those around me.
I like this because it is such a challenge to me. It challenges my introverted nature which wants to continuously look inward for solutions. And it challenges my desire to shut out the people who get under my skin. The people who I judge from just a glance at their clothes and the people who never seem to get that I find conversation with them extremely annoying.
“As you did it to the least of these…you did it to me”
How differently would we behave if we truly believed that every person we meet was created in God’s image and is a window into the heart of God?
Hope you all have a great weekend. God’s peace be with you.
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