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Many
of you have heard of WWJD,
seen on it on caps, bumper
stickers and bracelets. For
those of you who have
somehow missed it, WWJD
stands for the question,
“What would Jesus do?”
(Charles Sheldon’s book,
In His Steps, written in
1896 helped to popularize
the slogan long before its
popularity resurfaced in the
1990s.) And a very good
question it is, helping us
to conform ourselves to the
image of Christ and allowing
him to live through our
lives.
There’s another set of
letters we could learn,
another question we should
ask. I don’t expect it’s
been on any billboards or
key chains, but it likewise
can help us to live out our
faith in the real world.
WYDIFJ: “Would you do
it for Jesus?” The
foundation for this question
can be found in Matthew’s
Gospel, in the words of
Jesus.
"When the
Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the angels
with him, he will sit upon
his glorious throne, and all
the nations will be
assembled before him. And
he will separate them one
from another, as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the
goats. He will place the
sheep on his right and the
goats on his left. Then the
king will say to those on
his right, 'Come, you who
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 drink, a stranger and you
welcomed me, naked and you
clothed me, ill and you
cared for me, in prison and
you visited me.' Then the
righteous will answer him
and say, 'Lord, when did we
see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you
drink? When did we see you
a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or
in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to
them in reply, 'Amen, I say
to you, whatever you did for
one of these least brothers
of mine, you did for me.' ”
(Matthew 25:31-40, New
American Bible)
One of our missionaries
since 2007, Maeve Smith,
directs a parish thrift shop
in Albany. Here in her own
words is a story that
illustrates the Gospel and
her answer to the question
WYDIFJ.
“There is an elderly
gentleman who came in
looking for shoes. He asked
me to help him try them on
so I brought over a chair
for him to sit on and helped
him find shoes in his size.
He took out a shoe horn,
expecting that I would fit
his shoes or actually put
his feet into them. His
socks were dirty and I was
taken aback at finding
myself in this position.
But as I was turning his
socks right side up and
adjusting them to fit in the
shoes, I thought about
Mother Teresa and the love
that human touch conveys.
Then I thought about how
Jesus is always with us in
the poor and I realized I
was putting Jesus’ feet into
new shoes and Jesus was very
much in this gentleman.
Suddenly, I felt very
honored to have this
opportunity to serve.”
Like LAMP Missionary Maeve
Smith, we see Jesus
everyday, encountering him
in the needs, pains and
struggles of others. The
next time you see someone in
need, ask yourself the
question, “Would you do it
for Jesus?” Then pray for
the grace to respond.
WYDIFJ?
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