BEING GOOD: 11/26/23 (The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 25:31-46

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 the 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:

This is what will happen at the judgment day. The righteous and unrighteous will no longer be together unlike in the present world. In today's celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King, we should remember that we will face two judgments. One is at the end of our lives and another at the end of the world. Our life here on Earth is only a preparation for the afterlife.

How can we prepare? How can we enter the Kingdom of God in Heaven? Perhaps we already know that we need to be good. But, how can we be good in the eyes of God? Is the worldly standard enough which says that as long we're not hurting anyone, we are good? In God's perspective, goodness is seen in the works that Jesus mentioned in the gospel today. First, we must feed the hungry. It doesn't mean that we have to feed one hundred people. Even one is enough if we do it with love. We shall give drink to the thirsty and give clothes to those who do not have them. We could also visit the sick. There are many ministries in the Church for the sick. If we truly desire to help, we can do any of these deeds. We should first understand and believe that these works are our bridge to Heaven. There is no other standard. If we do not do any of this and if we seem numb to the suffering of others, how can we enter Heaven? It is very clear that Jesus said that He is present in the poor and suffering. May we prove that we love God and that He is our King through charity. He came on Earth to serve and so we must do the same. Charity can be done if we are ready to sacrifice some of resources or time for the benefit of others. If we desire to be holy, our strength and time shall be spent in helping our neighbors who are God's dwelling place. Amen. +

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +

The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/our-lord-jesus-christ-king-of-the-universe--solemnity/

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth