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, in whatever you did for one of the 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.”
Gospel Trivia:
Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and the year ends with the proclamation of Christ as King. All of creation and history have one destination -- the Kingdom of God, where God reigns as king.
Matthew provides the criteria for which all men will be judged. Note the use of the phrase "all the nations" indicates that the criteria are not only for the disciples and the believers, but include pagans and unbelievers. It applies to everyone, suggesting therefore that the Kingdom of God welcomes everyone, provided they pass the criteria.
And the criteria are simple and basic: Did you feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcome a stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoner?
The criteria do not mention: converting a multitude to the faith, donating huge sums to the Church, publishing volumes of theological books, achieving awards which recognize religious efforts, nor even living an extraordinary saintly life.
The criterion is simply, did you at least extend the simplest care for those who needed your care? It is not a big deal; it simply asks, did you at least give a glass of water?
The gospel also suggests that the Kingdom is not reserved for Catholics and saints, but to all men and women of goodwill.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Makati: St. Paul's Publications, 1987), pp. 128-132.
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