Matthew 25:31-46

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:

“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.’

Then he will say to those on his left,

‘Depart from me, you accursed,

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 no drink,

a stranger and you gave me no welcome,

naked and you gave me no clothing,

ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say,

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,

and not minister to your needs?’

He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,

what you did not do for one of these least ones,

you did not do for me.’

And these will go off to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I will stand before your throne and see how I lived my life on earth. I hope that it will be filled with love and service and not selfishness and sin. Help me to keep this day of judgment present in my mind and heart and prepare for it as I should.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Holiness Code of Leviticus: God wanted Israel to become a “holy nation.” Every Israelite was called to be holy for the Lord God is holy. Israel’s call to divine holiness meant separating themselves from sin and uncleanliness and dedicating or consecrating themselves to God. Leviticus 17-25 is called the “Holiness Code.” It details and teaches the Israelites how to be holy. The First Reading is taken from the part of the Holiness Code that deals with holy actions. It fleshes out many of the Ten Commandments. While it commands many things that we should not do, the passage concludes with something we should do and what Jesus has declared as the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).Our holiness, then, is connected to the love of God above all things and the love of our neighbor. At the end of our lives, we will be examined on how we loved or did not love.

2. The Last Judgment: At the Last Judgment, Jesus will act as a royal shepherd and divide the sheep from the goats. The docile sheep are the righteous and the stubborn goats are the unrighteous. The righteous are those who dedicated their lives to feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and comforting prisoners. The unrighteous are those who lived indifferent to the poor and needy. Those who neglect the poor, neglect Christ; and they are condemned, banished from the Kingdom, and punished with eternal fire. Those who serve the poor, serve Christ; and they are glorified, inherit the Kingdom prepared for them, and share in eternal life.

3. How Our Good Works are Meritorious: The good works of charity that we accomplish are meritorious only because we are united with Christ as we do them and they are empowered by divine grace. The meritorious good works of charity we accomplish in and through Christ will be rewarded with eternal salvation.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you came to us as a humble servant but will return to us as a glorious judge. Have mercy upon me and prepare me for this encounter. I cannot hide anything from you. All will be laid bare. Teach me to serve my brothers and sisters as you did.

Resolution: Imagine for a moment if we truly love others as we love ourselves. This would mean that the same amount of time and effort that we put into satisfying our needs, wants, and desires would be dedicated to those around us. To love is to will the good of another. And so, we need to ask ourselves very honestly and seriously today: What do my family, my closest friends, and my coworkers most need today? And how can I foster this good?