Last Judgment - Created by ChatGPT-4o, 2025-03-29
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 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 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 who 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."
- Matthew 25:31-46
This is not a far-off warning, but a mirror held up to the heart now. The "judgment" is not a punishment imposed by an angry God in the sky—it is the natural consequence of where we place our attention and affection. When we turn away from those who suffer, we turn away from the living Christ, who is always found among "the least of these."
In this way, the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned—these are not simply recipients of our charity; they are revelations of the Divine Presence. To see them, to draw near to them, is to touch the hem of Christ’s robe. It is to abide in the radiance of the Bodhisattva's compassion, to drink from the fountain of Bodhicitta, the heart that lives to benefit others.
This is why those who chase after pleasure, fame, or comfort often find themselves lost in despair. These things are like mirages in the desert—appearing to satisfy, but vanishing when grasped. To ignore the suffering of others is to exile oneself from love, which is the only true joy.
So the question this passage asks us is not, what will happen to us later? but where are we now? Are we walking the Way of Christ, the Bodhisattva path, opening our hearts to the brokenness of the world with active compassion? Or are we turning away, seeking solace in shadows?
Beloved, let your longing for Christ lead you into the world, not away from it. Let your prayer become hands that heal, feet that walk to the forgotten, eyes that see the holy in the faces of the poor. There, you will find your joy.