"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 one from another
as a 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.'
Charity Relieving Distress
Thomas Gainsborough, 1727-1788
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 who are members of my family, 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."
Dear friends,
As we approach the start of a new year, it is important to reflect on how we can live our lives in a way that brings happiness and benefit to ourselves and others. The passage from Matthew 25:31-46 offers guidance in this regard, as it speaks to the importance of loving and serving our neighbors, especially those who are in need.
In this passage, Jesus speaks of the day of judgement, when all nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the sheep from the goats. To the sheep, he will say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And to the goats, he will say, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
But what determines who is a sheep and who is a goat? Jesus tells us that it is our actions towards those in need that will determine our fate. The sheep are those who have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, and cared for the sick and imprisoned. These actions, Jesus tells us, are not just acts of kindness, but acts of love towards him. In other words, by loving and serving our neighbors, we are loving and serving Jesus himself.
This passage speaks to the importance of compassion and kindness in our lives. It is not enough to simply be happy and content ourselves; we must also strive to bring happiness and contentment to others. And this is especially true in the new year, as we have the opportunity to start fresh and make positive changes in our lives.
So let us commit to living with compassion and kindness in the new year. Let us reach out to those in need, whether they be our neighbors or people on the other side of the world. Let us strive to make a difference in the lives of others, and in doing so, bring joy and happiness to ourselves and those around us.
May the new year be a year of love and compassion for all of us.