The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (25:31-46)
Today’s gospel reading is a warning. There is just no way for me to sugarcoat this. Each of the pre-lenten gospel readings is meant to bring to light one aspect of the our lenten struggle. We read over the last few weeks about praying with humility, about repentance and God’s unconditional love. Now we are reading about another aspect of the spiritual struggle which is embodied in Lent, that is, almsgiving and acts of mercy and charity towards those in need.
Our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us that at the last day we will all stand to be judged. We are raised to judgment. As we stand before the just and merciful Judge, we are judged by certain criteria. These criteria are not what we might want to focus on. We aren’t judged by the external matter such as how well we fasted or how many prostrations we did or how many theology youtube videos we watched. No! The criterion by which God will judge each and every person is this alone: Did we love? Love is not a feeling. Love is an action. Love is dynamic. Love is when you go out of your way to help those who cannot help themselves. Love is making sacrifices to serve others. In short, love looks a lot like the life that Our Lord Jesus lived on a daily basis. In fact, Christ is love incarnate. Love become flesh and blood. Love become man for the salvation of the whole universe.
So the criteria by which we are judged is our acts of love, or our lack of these acts of love. Through these acts of charity such as feeding the poor, visiting the prisoners and the sick and more, we prove our identities. We prove to be who we claim to be, children of the Most high God. We prove that we are His by our similarity to Him. When we think about it we find that each of these things, feedings the poor, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked and visiting the prisoners; each of these groups is a group with which Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself identifies! He was hungry when He fasted for 40 days. He was a prisoner as He waited for His crucifixion. He was thirsty and naked when He hung upon the tree of the cross.
So Our Lord asks us to see His face in each of these suffering people within our society and our lives. The Lord gives us a great blessing by attaching His identity to these least of the brethren because in attaching His identity to them, He is granting us great and bountiful blessings if we choose to serve Him by serving them.
In this reading we are also reminded that at the last judgment it won’t be enough to claim to know Christ. You have to do the works of Christ, the works of mercy, the works of love, because these alone will make us recognizable to Our Lord Jesus at the judgment. So in doing these works, we see Christ clearly in those we serve and Christ in return, sees our true identity!
St. Nektarios has some powerful words about this passage when he writes,
“After the end of the General Judgment, the Righteous Judge (God) will declare the decision both to the righteous and to the sinners. To the righteous He will say: ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;’ while to the sinners He will say: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” And these will go away to eternal hades, while the righteous will go to eternal life. This retribution after the General Judgment will be complete, final, and definitive. It will be complete, because it is not the soul alone, as the Partial Judgment of man after death, but the soul together with the body, that will receive what is deserved. It will be final, because it will be enduring and not temporary like the Partial Judgment. And it will be definitive, because both for the righteous and for the sinners it will be unalterable and eternal.” -St. Nektarios
With all of this in mind let us make sure that during the lenten season, we make a concerted effort not only to eat the right foods and to attend more services together, but also to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ through our love for those who are struggling around us. Because if not for the grace of God, we would all be in a similar position, but out of His compassion He has spared us in order that we might be His hands and His healing presence among all people. Glory be to God forever AMEN.
Source: Sermons