Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, o Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
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.”
“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Fr. Joaquim MONRÓS i Guitart (Tarragona, Spain)Today, reading the Gospel: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him” (Mt 25:31), we are reminded of the Final Judgment by letting us mull over the essentials of our faith; feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty to drink, clothing the naked, visiting the sick... these are works of love for those Christians who, upon doing them, can see the very same Christ therein reflected.
Saint John of the Cross says: “When evening comes, you will be examined in love. Learn to love as God desires to be loved and abandon your own ways of acting.” Neglecting to do what is right in the service of the other sons of God, our own brothers, means to deprive Christ of these details of due love: sins of omission.
The II Vatican Council explains the demands of Christian charity through the Gaudium et spes Pastoral Constitution, which confers a meaning to the so-called social assistance, saying: “In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception and by actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord, "As long as you did it for one of these the least of my brethren, you did it for me" (Matt. 25:40).”
Let us remember Christ lives within Christians... and He tells us: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
The IV Lateran Council defines the Final Judgement as a truth of faith: “He will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, to render to every person according to his works, both to the reprobate and to the elect… so as to receive according to their deserts, whether these be good or bad; for the latter perpetual punishment with the devil, for the former eternal glory with Christ.”
Let us beg the Virgin Mary for her help in our acts of service to her Son in our brothers.
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“Let us sacrifice ourselves to God, let us go on sacrificing throughout every day and at every moment, let us gladly mount upon the Cross.” (Saint Gregory Nazianzen)
“In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need.” (Francis)
“Jesus shares the life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross; he experiences hunger, thirst and privation. Jesus identifies himself with the poor of every kind and makes active love toward them the condition for entering his kingdom.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 544)
