Judith A. Costa, S.S.D.

Why do I do this? It’s simple. I am a woman in love who strives to observe the commandments. “Love God and love your neighbor.”

Conscious of where I came from — and where I am going — with full realization of how precious life is, I want to hear at the end of time the words of Jesus recorded in Saint Matthew’s Gospel 25:34–40:

“Come, you blessed of 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 took me in; I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you came to visit Me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

The King will answer back, “I tell you indeed, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!”

Harold S. Kushner has said it well:

“The purpose in life is not to win. The purpose in life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought into other people’s lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them.”