Today, 27th of December, we celebrate
Saint John
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Judge your fellow man justly.
The Lord said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israeland tell them:
Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.
“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the Lord.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R./ Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R./ Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R./ Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the Lord are true,
all of them just.
R./ Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
R./ Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
Whatever you have done to the very least of my brothers, you have done to me.
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 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.”
Life is a time of choices – make the right ones!
Today’s Gospel opens with a solemn introduction to the narrative of the Last Judgment.
The Gospel repeatedly speaks of a God who is infinitely merciful and forgiving. We believe not in a condemning God but in a saving God. Then, how do we interpret the terrible threats in today’s Gospel as “good news” or “message of salvation?”
In Palestine, at sunset, shepherds tend to separate the sheep from the goats. The goats are more sensitive to cold and are placed under a roof. The sheep, covered with wool, like the cool of the night and have no problem spending the night in the open. Jesus conveys his message through this image, taken from everyday life. The language is typical of the preachers of that time. They used stunning images such as unquenchable fire and eternal penalties to provoke the listeners.
The text belongs to the judgment scene genre, found both in the Bible (cf. Dan 7) and in rabbinic literature. There is a presentation of the judge, accompanied by angels who serve as assistants and security guards, then the convocation of all people, the separation of groups, the sentencing and finally, the righteous are rewarded and the wicked punished. This literary genre aims not to inform about what will happen at the end of the world but to teach how to behave today.
The Lord will judge us on the choices we have made. In fact, the Lord does not judge; rather, he only draws out the consequences of human choices. Life is a time for making robust, decisive, eternal choices. Indeed, we become what we choose, for better or for worse. If we choose to steal, we become thieves. If we choose to hate, we become angry. If we choose to spend hours on a cell phone, we become addicted.
Therefore, the question is not who will be counted as sheep and goats at the end of the world, but on what occasions today do I behave as sheep and under what circumstances do I behave as goats? We are sheep when we love our brother or sister; we are goats when we neglect him or her.
Pope Francis gives us a piece of advice to train ourselves to choose well. He writes: Ask yourselves these questions daily: “What do I feel like doing?” and “What is best for me?” This interior discernment can result in silly choices or decisions that shape our lives – it depends on us.
How funny or strange it would have been if the people on the right answered thus: “Yeah, Lord, we knew it was you we were serving when we fed the hungry and clothed the naked!” It doesn’t fit the script! The remarkable thing is that these good souls had no idea they were serving Christ when they were engaging in these acts of mercy! Goodness is perfect when done unawares. How about you?
Bible Claret
