The Least of These (Alan Bentz-Letts)

“The elephant slaughtered for it’s tusks, the oceans littered with swaths of plastic bottles, the forest being burned or cut down for palm oil plantations, the arctic ice disappearing at an alarming rate. These are 'the least of these' also because they are part of us and how we came to be. Their suffering, their loss, their exploitation is the suffering of Jesus Christ. Christ is on the cross all over this planet."

Where do you see “the least of these” in the created world around you?

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Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

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This episode was written and recorded by Alan Bentz-Letts. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Houston St. and Sirens by Young Bay.

Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.