"I was thirsty . . . I was hungry . . . I was naked . . . I was a stranger -
and you did it for me"
Matthew 25: 31 - 46
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112220.cfm
The annual end of the liturgical year celebration of Christ our King brings to an end nearly a year long time of worry, stress, anger, contention, fear, painful isolation, economic worry, employment and unemployment, scandalous behavior between politicians, tension between Church and State, a faith that is challenged, but some final hope from the medical scientists as we approach the end of the calendar year.
So, to imagine Jesus as both shepherd, as we hear in the Gospel,
and King whom we acknowledge as Lord of our lives bears greater hope for
all.
This Sunday’s Feast culminates our liturgical year but
likewise presents us with the final reassurance that in the end, Christ will
conquer all things and finally, as our second reading from Corinthians states, “. . . he hands over the kingdom to his God
and Father . . .“ All that we fear and dark powers against us will be destroyed
in the end and all those faithful to the great “king” will triumph!
But, as uncomfortable as we present day Americans in our fragile
democratic government may be with the image of a king, knowing who this ruler
is and what his reign means for us, is to know the true God who comes to us not
with domination or absolute rule but a king who desires our compassion towards
one another; a ruler of mercy, kindness, love, forgiveness, justice and
peace. As he has done so we must do as
we await his return.
Still, in this Sunday’s Feast, we envision not just an
earthly king with royal powers passed on through blood line and long tradition
but a king who rules the universe! We
call Jesus Lord, the Almighty One, the Son of God, the Savior and Messiah, the
Holy One, the Lamb of God. In today’s Gospel this king comes with angels, on
clouds and sits on a “glorious throne.” Not ordinarily the image of Jesus we imagine
but one that reminds us the Christian way of life is not some mere society of
nice people who do good things for others. You don’t even need to be religious
for that.
If that is all that Christianity is, then we may as well
just join any number of charitable organizations. It is Christ who rules overall and we serve
after his example the Christ we see in one another. This is a king whose
presence is not just in the clouds but in the heart and soul of each person as
we are created in his image. He lives in the body of his Church, the
sacraments, the hearts of al believers.
On the other hand we see a vision of “all the nations” assembled before the
King who speaks as the good shepherd who cares for his sheep while he rejects
the goats. A strange image in one sense.
They are divided between sheep and goats as citizens of nations and the
King speaks of the very basic human needs of our brothers and sisters: hunger,
thirst, poverty, sickness, imprisonment, isolation. A scene that implies messiness, a disorder,
human suffering and certainly far removed from the royal throne of the King of
the Universe. But amazingly, the two
come together.
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We are reminded today of the golden rule which is
expressed in a variety of world cultures and which zeroes in on the basic
dignity of the human person: Never do to others what you would not have done to
yourself. In these corporal works of
mercy, Jesus expands even further as he brought the two greatest commandments
together: “Love the Lord your God and your
neighbor as yourself.” This king who reigns in heaven also lives in the
heart and soul of every human person and in particular with the least among us
- those who can be invisible and forgotten. And each person has a role to play:
to feed, to satisfy thirst, to befriend, to visit, to clothe, to care with
compassion for the suffering.
This shepherd King is not only with the suffering but he is in them. Jesus is especially present to us when we are lonely, lost, hungry, confused, isolated, frustrated, mourning. We are most faithful as loyal servants of the King when we live not for ourselves alone.
So the Son of Man will separate the “nations of the
world” between sheep and goats. Not
literally sheep and goats of course but you and me. Obviously most of us would rather be standing
among the soft wool rather than the stubborn “eat- any- things.” But it seems
to depend on how we have lived. It appears that fundamentally our level of
generosity, self-sacrifice, mercy, compassion, humility all in imitation of the
king and shepherd is how we will ultimately be judged. How invested have we been in the Christian
journey or is it only words to us?
To attend to one another in the most basic human need
implies that this call is universal and not limited to any one culture or class
of people. It is timeless in its application. Therefore, as we serve each other
we serve God himself. Let’s chew on that one for a while! Who have I
forgotten? Who have I ignored? Who has asked for help and I was too busy?
Who have I not forgiven? I don’t
need to move to suffering India or the slums of Argentina or Mexico to exercise
mercy. Our Lord gave us the reason why
we do what we do and serve as we serve: “Whatever
you did for one of the least ones of mine, you did for me.”
So it is far more than just being nice and generous. It is the reason why we do such works, our
ultimate motivation, and not just to do them. We might say the very icon of
mercy in our day, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as she offered her service to
the poorest of the poor was to fulfill this parable.
Who are the hungry, the forgotten, the lonely, the
isolated, the thirsty in your life? Go feed them, clothe them, share time with
them, give comfort to them. In the end,
it will make all the difference in eternity as we hear the voice of the King: “What
you did for them, you did for me.”
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
and all you have created rightly gives you praise,
for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and working of the Holy Spirit,
you give life to all things and make them holy,
and you never cease to gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
(Eucharistic Prayer III)
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