Matthew 25   31-46

Jesus said to his disciples. “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts  out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me,  I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room,  I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit,  I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.’

“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell.  And why?   Because – I was hungry and you gave me no meal,  I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed,  I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me – you failed to do it to me.’

“Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”

Gospel Reflection

For Matthew, the image of Christ the Universal King continues to be a terrifying God of Judgement. Matthew’s people believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime and expected that those who had decided not to follow the Christian way must surely suffer.

But this reading also suggests that our actions are not so easily defined by what we call ourselves. We all know people who claim to be Christian who seem to be anything but. We all know a neighbour or friend who would never step foot in a church yet cares and provides for those in need.

It’s not about looking good for God but about looking out for our fellow brothers and sisters. And knowing that God, who is King of all,  sees all.