The judgment of the nations
Jesus said 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.”
REFLECTION WHOSE WE ARE, WHO WE ARE. We celebrate Christ the King at the end of what is called the Church’s liturgical year. This year is patterned after the story of Christ, beginning with our Advent preparation for his coming through the Lenten season and Holy Week, with the rest of the time devoted to what Jesus said and did.
In the Gospel, Jesus is described as coming in glory and sitting on his throne. But unlike one who lords it over others (cf Mt 20:25), this King is also “the Good Shepherd” who knows and welcomes his sheep who recognize his voice (cf Jn 10:14). And the “goats on his left” are those who did nothing for the poor, the stranger, and the prisoner with whom Christ the King identifies.
By putting this celebration at the end of the liturgical year, we do not only remember the life of Christ the Shepherd-King but also proclaim that he is the Lord of history. What happens in our world and our lives is taken up in the story of the Shepherd-King in the great epic of salvation history. The lights and darkness of human history, like the beautiful monuments of art and the brutal ravages of wars, are not vicious cycles of greatness and depravity. Our life’s ups and downs do not come from good or bad karma. Our common histories and personal stories are where the life of the Shepherd-King is relived. Thus are we empowered. And what we do as a people and as individuals counts and makes a difference in the world when we follow the example of the Shepherd-King and build his Kingdom.
As followers of this Shepherd-King, we are not just disciples of a guru whose behavior we imitate. We belong to him as true subjects. Yes, we belong to groups or communities, whether chosen or not, like our families, our social networks, and even our nations. But more than all these identifications, we belong to Christ, this Shepherd-King who laid down his life for the sheep and identified himself with us all who are in dire need of salvation. And this belonging to him is what marks who we are, our deepest identity.