“'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...?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'”
The hungry. The thirsty. The stranger. The naked. The ill. The prisoner.
It’s a motley crew for sure. While pretty inclusive, it’s certainly not exhaustive. Jesus certainly could have included from the Jewish tradition the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. From his ministry, Jesus may have mentioned the blind, the lame, the leper, the Samaritan, the prostitute, the divorced, the possessed, the paralyzed, the tax collector, or the sinner.
Taking another turn, Jesus may have referenced his own teaching, going back to the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (twenty chapters earlier in Matthew’s gospel). He could have listed again the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, or the persecuted.
The wisdom of the saints through the ages could add to the list, as well. Saint Francis may have included Brother Sun and Sister Moon or the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux may have mentioned the little ones. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton might have added children in need of education. Saint Vincent de Paul, all those in need of assistance. Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the poorest of the poor. Saint Peter Claver, slaves. Saint Gerard Majella, the unborn.
If Jesus were speaking today, perhaps he would include shooting victims, the mentally ill, the suicidal, the abused, those discriminated against, the bullied, the addicted, the undocumented, the victims of human trafficking, the refugees, the neglected, the isolated, the disconnected, the homeless, those with special needs, the doubting, questioning, or confused.
The powerless. The stigmatized. The voiceless. The marginalized. Those alone.
And Jesus says, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.”