20201122 FINAL JUDGEMENT
22 November, 2020, Sunday, Christ the King
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading |
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17 © |
The Lord will judge between sheep and sheep
The Lord says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
As for you, my sheep, the Lord says this: I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 22(23):1-3a,5-6 © |
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28 © |
Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father; so that God may be all in all
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feetand the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet. And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
Gospel Acclamation | Mk11:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 25:31-46 © |
I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since 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 made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’
FINAL JUDGEMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 34:11-12,15-17; 1 COR15:20-26,28; MATT 25:31-46]
There is only one thing the world fears, and it is death. This is why St Paul wrote that the last enemy, which is death, must be overcome before the resurrection could begin. The world fears death because it does not believe that there is anything beyond this world. They do not believe in God, in life after death, and of course, the final judgment at death. For the world, there is nothing to hope for in life other than this life on earth. Moral relativism thrives since there is no judgment as there is no truth or falsehood. Materialism and consumerism thrive because there is no soul or spirit. Individualism and self-centeredness prevail because each one must grab as much as he or she can from this world since after death, life will be no more. So, enjoy while you can.
Without belief in the final judgement at the end of our life, there is no question of accountability. Each one of us can live our life recklessly and selfishly because the only judgement is of this world. Indeed, we see evil and powerful people flourish and are prosperous. They live a good and luxurious life through cheating, corruption, manipulation and injustices. Often the good, the innocent, and the weak suffer in silence. If such is the reality of this world, why do we even bother to do good or live righteously? Why do we sacrifice our lives, pleasures and convenience to help the poor, the sick and the suffering? Why work so hard and then leave your wealth to your children? One might as well enjoy and forget about the next generation. Indeed, we live in a world without much hope for justice, peace, equality and fulfillment.
How did humanity come to this situation? It is all because man has stopped believing in God. When humanity puts God out of creation, we can no longer explain our existence and our purpose in this world. Those who think that science and technology can provide us the answers are wrong. Science can posit and speculate how the world came into being. Technology can help to harness creation and use it to make life better for all. But neither science nor technology can give us the why of creation and the why of life. Why is there a universe in the first place? Why are there human beings? What is the purpose of life on earth? What will happen after death? These fundamental questions cannot be answered by science. They are theological and philosophical questions. Only the Ultimate, that is God, can answer these questions.
This is why all the scripture readings of the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year speak of the reality of the final judgment and the outcome of the end of history. St Paul gives us a vision of what would happen at the end on account of Christ who came into the world to save us from sin and reconcile us with the Father. He assures us that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man.” Christ guarantees us by being the first-fruits of the resurrection that we all too will share in His resurrection. “Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him.” Our life will not end in annihilation but in restoration and fulfillment. Death is not the end but the beginning of a new life. We will share in the glorified body of Christ, a life that is free from evil, sin and suffering. “God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4)
But before this can happen, there will be a final judgement for all of us. This is what the Lord said in today’s gospel. All of us will be called to account before Him. This fact of the final judgement is a source of consolation for us all and helps us to make sense of life, especially the suffering and injustices we go through. The final judgment is not something to be feared but for us to look forward to because it is the day of our redemption and restoration. Without the final judgement, everything we do in this life is meaningless and without value. We will only fall into despair knowing that the rich, powerful, selfish and evil people triumph. Without justice for humanity, we will live in despair and have nothing to look forward to. This is why, the final judgement is Christian hope for justice before God. In the final analysis, there is no true justice in this world but justice can only be found in God.
It is within this perspective and prospective vision of the final judgement before us that will determine how we should live our life today. How can we be sure that we would be judged by the Lord who will say to us, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.” How can we avoid the judgement of condemnation when the Lord will say to us, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”? The scripture readings provide us some criteria.
Firstly, we will be asked to account for our cooperation in establishing the kingdom of God by overcoming sin, evil and injustices so that God’s love and justice can reign in our lives. This is what Vatican II teaches, “For after we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father: ‘a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.’ On this earth that Kingdom is already present in mystery. When the Lord returns it will be brought into full flower.” (Gaudium et Spes, 39)
Secondly, we are asked to account for the way we exercised leadership in our family, in society and in the world. This was what the Lord said to the leaders of Israel in the first reading. They failed in their responsibilities as leaders. “You shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals.” (Ezekiel 34:2-5)
Thirdly, we are asked to account for the way we treated the poor and those who are suffering. “For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” This is because the Lord identifies with the least of His brothers. “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” To neglect the poor and the suffering is to fail to recognize the Lord present in them and in their midst. In the final analysis, love of our brothers and sisters is the ultimate criterion to enter into the kingdom of God because God is pure love.
Finally, it must be noted that the brothers of Jesus are His messengers, prophets, teachers, elders, priests and missionaries. Jesus called His apostles “brothers” because He is identified with them in a special way. “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Lk 10:16; cr Mt 28:10; Jn 20:17)) We are all responsible to support the ministers of the Church in the work of proclaiming the gospel to all peoples in the world, within and without. Supporting the cause of the Church and missionary work is an essential part of every Christian’s responsibility whether in kind, money, or service.
Indeed, let us live in hope for true justice as we place all our hope in God who will come to judge us, as we pray in the Creed, the living and death. It is a judgement that evokes hope and the love of God. Christ our King will truly bring justice and peace. In the meantime, let us walk the way of Christ our true King and Good Shepherd in caring for the poor, the sick and the suffering. In this way, working for truth, justice and love, we already have a foretaste of heaven. Indeed, the only losers in this world will be those who do not believe in God because at their death, they will lose everything. For those who believe in God and start living a life of love and compassion, we share in God’s life here and now and to the fullest at the end of our life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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