The Final Judgement

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Matthew 25:31-36 - The Final Judgement

This passage has always bugged me. Do you have any scripture passages like that? Actually, I very often find these have the most to offer, the most to help me see what I am blind to.

First off, there is the king who’s handing out harsh, clear-cut sentences, ruling from his throne like a cruel despot. Then there is the business of goats and sheep. I know I am more like an old goat than a sheep. Both the sheep and the goats are oblivious, like they’ve been sleepwalking. How could they, we have missed Christ among us? This is a parable. It is using figurative language to make a point: treat everyone as Christ. Be attentive to their needs. In doing this, we enter the kingdom of God. Treat everyone, even the “least,” especially them, as Christ. These are the ones we most likely overlook or take for granted: the clerk in the store, the neighbor who doesn’t act like a neighbor. Let’s give ourselves a wake-up call: “See Christ in everyone,” not just in those who are “important.” It is part of obedience, learning to hear and to heed Christ in the ordinariness of daily life with the most ordinary people. The more we listen to these “least,” the more we hear the call of Christ. This is how we “enter the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.” Enter the kingdom now!

Charles Preble, OblSB