In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
The Lord gives us today a stark scene, a scary scene, we should pay attention to the fearful content of what awaits. For the last two Sundays, as we prepare for the beginning of the Great Fast, we hear Parables—of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10–14) and of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32)—now we hear in frightening terms of the Last Day, the Great Day, the Day of the consummation of this Age.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious Throne.
Judgement is coming. And I think to myself, “What arbitrary terms! How do I know if I am a sheep or a goat?” And I go on in my thought processes, “What’s the minimum number of people I need to feed to be a sheep? How much do I need to give to be let in?” Because I consider what I term “the judgement criteria” in today’s Gospel—feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned—as a check-list for my life, to be a “how to” of being an upright Christian.
And in my misery, of itself it would not matter how many I feed: I would be a goat.
Let us, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, not see this as a check-list for judgement, rather let us understand the principle. What marks a goat is his separateness, he walks apart from the world, on the precipices overlooking sin. The sheep, on the other hand, yields fruit and stays within the spiritual protection of the herd as the shepherd watches over. The righteous, the sheep, do not feed others because they themselves want something, they feed because it is in their nature, they feed because they place others as more important than themselves, they feed because they are humble. The cursed, the goats, on the other hand are full of pride and self-importance, they feed others only when they can receive in return, they serve others only to gain status and prestige, they strategise their generosity for the maximum impact on themselves.
What are we then to do? For the Satan would have us believe that it does not matter what we do, our fate is predetermined. What we should do, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is give. Giving to others is an act which softens our hearts, if only so slightly. And when our hearts soften—however painful it is to us—we need to encourage, not fight, that softening. A goat would regret the loss, a sheep would rejoice that another has gained. And, little by little, through acts of generosity, we bring humility on ourselves and start to rid ourselves of pride.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the Day of Judgement. Let us, through the Church, learn repentance through giving, learn humility through generosity, learn love through service, that by softening our hearts we may be counted among the righteous and hear from our risen Lord on the fearful day,
Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
That we may offer true praise and glory to our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who offered Himself that we may have Life, together with His unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
— First Corinthians 8:8–13, 9:1–2
The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of 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 drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, 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, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
— Matthew 25:31–46