Today’s liturgy of the Word focuses our attention on the coming of the Son of God in glory, together with all the angels. What prophet Ezekiel was predicting as the future event – “thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am going to judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats” (Ezekiel 34:17) – gets fulfilled in the Gospel. The “I” of Ezekiel is the Son of Man who sits “upon the throne of his glory” to judge the nations (Matt 25:31).
Between the prediction of the judgement in the first reading and the last judgement of the Gospel, the second reading inserts the resurrection of Christ. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, firstfruit of the [ones] having fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20). Christ’s resurrection has begun His reign, a time to overcome all the enemies. Among them are: (1) heavenly and earthly powers, which oppose God and (2) death as the last enemy. Death no longer has power over Christ (Rom 6:9), but we long for that moment when “death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14).
The parable of the Last Judgement is among the best known fragments of the New Testament, and the sentence – “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” – has shaped the moral standards of the Western civilization. Here is the source of the saying “guest in the house, God in the house” and monastic hospitality. This sentence moved the Church to care for the homeless, to open first ever clinics and hospitals, and to begin prison ministry. All the social privileges enjoyed by contemporary citizen of the West are derived from this one sentence.
The title “Son of Man” was given by prophet Daniel to a mysterious figure who came to God and was given an everlasting dominion over the nations (Dan 7:13-14). By applying this prophecy to Himself, Jesus was sentence to death for blasphemy (Matt 26:64-66). The Judge from the parable is not impartial. The treatment of the “least of His brothers” decides the final destiny of the nations. The identification of the Judge with those in need surprises both the just and the condemned. The final decision fulfills the words of the Scriptures: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt 5:7) and “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13).
The Judge mentions six acts of kindness, which together with burying the dead form the “corporal works of mercy”. All are rooted in the biblical tradition and all imitate God.
- Feed the hungry. God feeds His people with manna during their journey through the desert (Ex 16) and Christ multitude by the Sea of Galilea (Mk 6:35-44).
- Give drink to the thirsty. God gives water to the thirsty people (Ex 17:1-7) and Jesus gives the living water to a thirsty Samaritan woman (John 4:13-14).
- Shelter the homeless. Abraham received the angels under his roof (Gen 18:2-3) and Christ the two disciples of John the Baptist who searched for the meaning in life (John 1:36-39).
- Clothe the naked. God made leather tunics for Adam and Eve and clothed them (Gen 3:21) and Christ clothed a possessed man (Mk 5:15).
- Visit the sick. Angel Raphael visits the blind Tobit (Tobit 5:4-10) and Christ the dying daughter of Jarius (Mk 5:22). In both cases, the healing was the final outcome.
- Comfort the imprisoned. God was with Joseph in prison (Gen 39:21) and the angel of the Lord visited Peter while the apostle was imprisoned (Acts 12:5-7). They both gained freedom.
- Bury the dead. God Himself buried Moses (Deut 34:6) and Christ leads the dead from the grave (John 11:43-44).
Great are the acts of kindness. The Gospels begin with one and end with one. At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, the Holy Family shelters under their roof the Magi from the East (Matt 2:11) and at the end of the Gospel of John the risen Christ provides a breakfast for His hungry disciples (John 21:9). True are the words of apostle James: “mercy triumphs over judgement” (James 2:13).
Reading the Bible 