Seconde nature

février 17th, 2026

Matthew 25:37-46.

Have you ever watched a master go about their work? Whether it is a carpenter with a piece of wood, a painter with a brush, a basketball player’s jump shot, or a typist on a keyboard, there is something about repeated and practiced exertion that creates a level of expertise that becomes second nature.

One of the most surprising elements of the responses from the sheep in Matthew 25 is found in a simple question: « Lord, when? » The King praised their practiced compassion, but the sheep did not even know when it was that they had behaved so honorably. Their love had been so consistent, their care so undiscriminating, that the Lord praised them for its frequency, saying that whenever they had done so for the least, they had done it for Him.

What a wonderful challenge! We are called to make our love and care for others so frequent and immediate that it becomes second nature. If we are being transformed by the God whose very nature produces perfect love, that love thus becomes a core part of our identity. May our compassion increase in such measure that it receives the praise of the King.

Author: Grant Miller