Matthew 25:31-46
Christ the King
by Rev. Robert J. Wagner
Reprinted by permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.  And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who 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 drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'  Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'  And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, 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, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'  Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'  He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'  And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

As we do every year on the last Sunday before Advent, this Sunday the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King.  It is a reminder that Jesus Christ reigns over all of creation.  Considering that this life is marked by sin and suffering, the truth of Our Lord's sovereignty brings us peace.  We are comforted knowing that just as Jesus Chris gained our salvation through the horror of the cross, He also brings the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God through the struggles and sorrows of this life.

The Gospel his Sunday portrays another aspect of the kingship of Jesus - His final judgment at His Second Coming.  Some may be familiar with the Latin phrase memento mori, meaning, "remember death," which reminds us that our time on earth is limited.  Contemplated apart from our faith, this thought encourages us to focus on what is truly important in our lives.

As Catholics, memento mori has an additional meaning, for it reminds us that we will meet Jesus Christ at the end of this life.  He will judge whether we will spend our eternity united with God in heaven or separated from God in hell.  Our faith tells us of the particular judgment that comes at the moment of our death and the last judgment that occurs when Jesus comes in glory on the last day.

Jesus describes the scene of the Last Judgment in this Sunday's Gospel.  First, we note that the judgment is based on not only faith, but on the integration of that faith into the life of the believer.  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven (Mt 7:21)."  We are called to witness our faith in what we say and do.  Jesus welcomes those who do works of mercy into eternal life, but denies those who refuse to help their neighbor in need, even if they claim to know Him.  In our lives, this causes us to question whether our love for God is reflected in our love for others, especially those in need.

The description of the Last Judgment also reveals that when we serve our neighbor we are serving Jesus Himself.  Those confronted with this truth ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirst and give You drink?"  To which He replies, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me."  We benefit in knowing that we encounter Jesus when in our encounters with others, especially the poor, the ill, the stranger and all in need.  The more we believe this truth, the more we freely offer respect, dignity and charity to everyone we encounter.  This is how we grow to love as god loves.

Finally, reflecting on our Final Judgment may cause us some amount of anxiety.  The idea of Jesus, who knows the words, thoughts and actions we keep hidden from everyone else, judging our whole life cannot help but lead to some fear that we will be found wanting.  This fear can lead us to contrition and conversion of life, but we are not meant to live in fear, but in faith and freedom.  Yes, we should have sorrow for our sins and seek God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of others.  We also know that Jesus judges perfectly not solely because He is truth, but also because He is mercy.  By becoming incarnate Jesus came to know intimately our struggles and temptations, and He alone can weight the knowledge and freedom we have to do good or evil in every situation.

We are blessed that Jesus Christ is our Judge, so let us not see the Second Coming of our Savior as something to be feared.  Our King comes to bring eternal joy to all who believe in Him.  May we live in faith, hope and love that we will welcome Him with joy on that glorious day.

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