Gospel Reflection Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

Today’s Gospel reading is something Jesus taught very close to the end of His earthly ministry. It expands upon and extends the Sermon on the Mount. If we follow the teaching of Jesus in Matthew chapters 5 - 7 (and elsewhere), then we will find ourselves among those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the imprisoned, and more. The corporal acts of mercy are part and parcel of Christian discipleship (i.e. being a learner and follower of Jesus). 

For those who reduce Christ to merely a moral teacher or spiritual do-gooder, today’s passage injects a healthy dose of reality. He is teaching authoritatively a very strict bifurcation of those who enter into rewards versus punishment. There is no wiggle room. No way to argue back to Him at the end of the age that we were too busy or simply unaware of what was expected of us. The Lord Himself is present among those who are in need of the mercies outlined. How we treat them is a direct outworking of our inner state, it corresponds 1:1 to the disposition of our hearts toward both God and each other. 

Brutal honesty: when I am self-absorbed, I don’t want to do anything for others. I only want to wallow in the ‘me’ of the moment. “I” become everything. I walk past the beggar, ignore the naked, and forget the suffering. Jesus’ teachings are hard, nay, impossible if we continually get in our own way. And that is quite often, which is a good reason why we return to them daily. We cannot l merely think ourselves into the Kingdom of heaven. We cannot live the Christian life, the daily walk with the Lord, from our armchairs.

Christianity is not a philosophical system or self-help program. It is a lived existence in communion with the living God. Empowered by ever-moving grace, we must get up out of the chair. We must walk. We must do things that require us to go beyond ourselves. It sounds self-righteous when we hear this from others, even priests or pastors. “How dare someone judge me? Who are they?!” However, Holy Scripture makes these things quite plain to us. We know it is absurd to shoot the messenger, even if we don’t like how they say it to us. Even if they are hypocritical themselves. Instead, let us explore the words of the messengers (e.g the Gospel evangelists, and clergymen), take them seriously, and try to think about other people the way Jesus tells us to think of them. Let us pray and ask God to open small doors of opportunity for the corporal works of mercy. 

Gospel Reflection Matthew 25:31-46

 Matthew 25:31-46

Today’s Gospel reading delivers yet another hard truth about Jesus. Judgment is real. There are rewards and punishments. What we do in this life matters. How we treat people matters to God. The command to love God and love our neighbor is not just a nice idea. It is not something beyond us. When we want to know what we can do for the Lord, there are some very simple answers in this passage. God does not give us an impossible task list. He does not give us a bar we can never jump over. Sure, on our own accord, without trusting and following the Lord, we cannot. But with His help, we can move mountains. I submit that many times the mountain to be moved is our ego. We need to knock down the mountain of selfishness so that we can make our way toward others. God offers us help here. These passages are a form of that help. They should awaken us from spiritual slumber.

We sometimes question God’s purpose for our life. By this, we generally mean “What job does God want me to have?” Or “what person does He want me to marry?” Etc.  Whatever job or vocation you may have, there are some constants. Some things are non-negotiable, and they apply to every believer. The Lord spells things out for us in bold letters. Things like repentance, prayer, worship, and, importantly, how we think about and act toward our fellow man. If you want to do something for the Lord, then look to the sick, the persecuted, the imprisoned, those who have nothing. I think there is always something we can do here; however small it might seem to us.

In our highly developed western world, it is easy to think that someone else is “taking care of it”. It is easy to think this is the job of government programs. Or we can get lulled into thinking only our weekly contribution to the offering plate is sufficient. I submit this is an easy way to pass the buck.

A big question we must answer to ourselves is whether we have a disposition of compassion, action, and grace toward others. It is not always an issue of money. It is not always an issue of time. Instead, I suggest starting at a more micro-level. For example, what habits do we have? If we develop habits of charity toward our fellow man, we will constantly be doing the will of God. We will adhere to the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel reading today. We are so motivated because it is right, just, and good. We desire the Lord’s favor. We know there are dire consequences for those who eschew the grace God has offered. This is manifest in their actions toward the least of these. Let us show the way of Christ. Allow Him to knock down our mountains of self. Then move with compassion toward our neighbor.