Forty five years ago, as the world mourned the passing of President John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis, a renowned Christian writer, also died. He comes to mind as I pondered this gospel’s message of judgment. He surmised that when we get to heaven, there will be three surprises. “First, we will be surprised by the people that we find there, many of whom we surely had not expected to see. The second surprise is that we will be surprised by the people who are absent… the ones we expect to see but who are not there. The third surprise, of course, will be that we’re there.”
The gospel speaks of the saved and the unsaved, the sheep and the goats, raising the question for us to ponder, “Where am I?” Jesus cautions his disciples that ultimately we will be separated, not on the faith we profess or the manner in which we worship, but on the service we render to him by the service we give to others. That may come as a surprise to those who presume that one must be Catholic, or at least Christian, to be numbered amongst those who will inherit the kingdom.
This gospel passage stands apart from what we have heard lately for now Jesus speaks of all the nations being assembled before him when he sits on his glorious throne. “Nations” refers to the gentiles, that is, those who have yet to hear the good news, to be baptized, or celebrate the others sacraments. Jesus will come to judge all humanity, according to the moral law, the law written in our hearts. The most obvious and universally acknowledged part of that law is caring for the less fortunate.
Does this mean that we earn our way into heaven? No, since heaven is God’s gift to us. Rather, Jesus is telling us that if we want to encounter him, in this lifetime and the next, we will find him when we engage in what is known as the corporal works of mercy. If you need to remind yourself of these basic principles of living the Christian life, just look at the windows opposite the altar. We share in the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world when we look upon others as Christ, loving that person as Christ, and doing for that person as Christ: visiting the imprisoned or the sick, feeding the hungry, quenching the thirsty, clothing the naked, and welcoming the stranger. If we are to be numbered amongst the sheep, we must reach out to those in need.
In a down to earth manner, Jesus says that we acknowledge him as King through our use of material things and our use of time. That is the purpose of stewardship in our lives. We take a portion of the many gifts God has given us, our treasure, our talents, and our time, and share them with our parish and in other charitable ways, such as through Outreach, Good Cheer, WISH, CCS, and Helping Hands.
Stewardship is something we must ponder seriously constantly. Our God became flesh. That is, through his son, Jesus, God offered his body and his blood. He lived a poor and human life. He spoke to us; he told his followers how to use their time and gifts for the sake of others. He then taught that lesson by example on the cross. In return, he asks for our response in more than just thoughts and words, but also in action. As members of his body, he seeks to use us as his hands and feet to continue his mission on earth. When we give him priority over our possessions and time, we will truly encounter him.
Jesuit theologian and author, Fr. Walter Burghardt, insists that salvation is designed to take part within the human community. In one of his last books, he wrote, “My salvation depends on fidelity to three relationships: Do I love God above all else? Do I love each sister and brother as Jesus has loved and loves me? Do I touch each thing with the reverence, the respect, the restraint God asked of humankind at its birthing?”
We often pray for the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the imprisoned, the naked, the homeless and the lost, but unless our prayer is translated into positive and practical action on their behalf, then we have obscured the reason for which Jesus lived and died. He came to give so that we might give also. His words and works compel those who profess to believe in him to follow his example and respond likewise. Doing this honors Jesus as king in a most effective and reverent manner. The intent of this gospel is not to judge us harshly but to encourage us to follow the example of our king.
This message is delivered to us at the end of the church year to summarize what being a follower of Christ is all about. If we truly want to encounter Christ, this is the lesson above all other lessons that must be taken to heart. We are being challenged to be stewards, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.
A few years ago, The New York Times reported that a shabbily dressed homeless woman, dragging a cart filled with garbage bags, placed two crumpled dollar bills in the hat of homeless man who was pan-handling in front of a church. It was a random act of kindness that almost went unnoticed yet a snapshot of compassion that both inspires the spirit and breaks the heart.
In our opening prayer, we noted that God breaks the power of evil. God does this, not with violence but with compassion and love. Everyone has the potential to break the power of evil in our midst by following the example of that homeless woman.
The corporal works of mercy remind us of Jesus’ criterion for salvation. He clearly spells out what separates the sheep from the goats. As C.S. Lewis notes, there will likely be some surprises come judgment day, but no Christian should ever be surprised if the lesson of this gospel is heeded.