Righteous or Accursed

“Lord, when was it when we saw you….” ~ Matthew 25

I find it interesting that in this well-known Scripture passage that both the righteous and the accursed are stunned because they have missed Christ in their lives. In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, retreatants are encouraged to do an Examen daily (nightly). This involves reflecting back over the day and seeing where they met Christ and seeing where they missed Him. The hope is that retreatants will see the patterns of their lives that prevent them from recognizing Christ and learn to look for Him in those places until it becomes second nature, thus choosing to break their bad patterns and step into better behaviour.

I have always told my retreatants that if they learn nothing else, learn this skill. Tonight reflecting on this passage, I would say it could almost make the difference between salvation and damnation if I were inclined to believe in those places but I still think it does put us more on the right path and allow us to give thanks to the One who journeys with us.

Peace,

Suzanne