Matthew 25.31-46

Gospel according to Matthew 25.31-46

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the Angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. “Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, “\You that are accursed, depart from me 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 nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ‘Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflections

Sheep and goats were both valuable livestock in Jesus’ time, as they are today. Sheep’s wool is used to make warm garments. The sheep’s meat is a key element in traditional cooking. Sheep’s milk as well as goat’s milk is used to make cheese. Sheep are thought to be gentle animals who are heavily dependent on the shepherd’s direction for finding grass that is rich in nutrients. Goats are less selective in their diets than sheep are. They can digest leaves, tree bark, and shrubs, and can survive in harsher climates than the sheep. In ancient Palestine, shepherds kept sheep and goats together in a herd to optimize the use of available pasturage. It was important for the shepherd to know how many sheep and goats they had to choose the right places with enough food for both.

Sheep and goats surrounding their shepherd call into mind a pastoral scene, where the master, tending his sheep, separates the animals according to their characteristics. He sets the sheep to the right and the goats to his left.

Jesus uses this parable to illustrate the end of times when people will be judged not based on their characteristics, but their actions. The actions of the merciful will be honored, while the actions of the unkind will be shunned. Good will prevail and remain, and evil will be destroyed forever.

The end of times calls into mind the end goal, reason, and purpose of our existence. The entire world will once cease to exist, it will cease to be, just like one day our lives will end. This knowledge of temporality and finiteness adds a call of urgency to reflect on the question of what the reason for our existence is.

Today’s Gospel reading contrasts the temporal and the finite with the eternal and infinite. It puts into perspective the meaning and purpose of our lives from the perspective of the ultimate, or in the dimension of the ultimate. Thus, the reading of today puts our concrete actions under the lens of a higher and all-encompassing purpose—the purpose of human life on earth. What may this purpose be?

How may this reading apply to us today?

1. What is meaningful must be in harmony with universal values.

According to the Catholic Catechism, which summarizes the faith tradition of the Catholic Church, God created us to know him, to love him and to serve him. To know God is to journey in faith and to relate to him through revelation in history, where God manifested himself in various ways. In today’s Gospel, for example, God reveals himself as the King of Kings and a shepherd who can separate the sheep from the goats. To love God, is the capacity to respond to his love. To serve him is the invitation to participate in making the world advance toward perfection in truth, beauty, and goodness.

Truth, beauty, and goodness are three aspects of meaning. They are values that provide guidance in accordance with universal values, such as respect for life, the love of one’s neighbor, and care for God’s creation. Therefore, what is meaningful is what is in harmony and resonance with God’s plan of salvation and healing for the world.

2. What is meaningful must be possible and reasonable in our surroundings.

There are concrete examples that the shepherd gives, which are known as the corporal works of mercy: giving food to the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, clothing those who have no clothes, welcoming strangers, visiting the sick, and those in prison. They are called works of mercy because through them, we reach beyond ourselves to improve the condition of those who are less fortunate or those who are lacking. These acts invite us to stop the cycle of violence, exploitation, or selfishness, and invite us to give generously, kindly and forego self-interest.

The response of the “sheep,” who do not know when they have seen God hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick or in prison, is marked by a lack of taking count of how many times they helped someone else. The shepherd tells them that when they acted kindly and with mercy toward their neighbor, they acted in harmony with God’s plan.

3. The infinite beckons the finite and the temporal.

The invitation is to creatively get to know our surroundings; to see and experience the needs of others, and to do little acts of kindness, not counting our own return, but trusting that what we do even in secret is known and will be counted at the end.