The Judgment of the Nations
MATTHEW 25:31-46
Gospel READING:
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.”
Gospel Reflection:
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus shares the parable of the sheep and the goats, illustrating the final judgment. In this passage, Jesus describes how the Son of Man will separate the righteous (sheep) from the unrighteous (goats), based on their actions of compassion and kindness toward others.
As I reflect on this passage, it challenges me to examine my own life and actions. Am I actively seeking to help those in need, or am I turning a blind eye to their suffering? This parable reminds me that true faith is not just about believing the right things; it's also about living out those beliefs through love and compassion for others.
Moreover, this passage highlights the importance of seeing Christ in everyone we encounter. When we serve those in need, we are serving Jesus himself. This perspective shifts our understanding of charity from mere philanthropy to a profound act of worship and obedience to God.
This passage also reminds me that our faith should be evident in our actions. It's not enough to simply say we believe in Jesus; our faith should be demonstrated through our love for others. As James 2:17 says, "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
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