It is in the Lord that true goodness is to be found

Christians all over the world celebrate ‘Christ the King’ feast. This feast day’s meditation is based on the following readings: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46. The main theme is on the final judgment of Jesus Christ when he comes in glory and power. Prophet Ezekiel speaks of this coming from the Old Testament point of view; talking of God who will come to tend to the sick and ailing sheep, because the entrusted shepherds have failed him. But he will as well separate the good from the bad. The bad will be punished and the good will be rewarded. The Gospel maintains the pastoral image of Ezekiel; the shepherd will distinguish the sheep from the goats and attend to those who suffer. Jesus too intended the separation of the good people from the bad for a final judgement. Unlike Ezekiel, Jesus makes the standard of judgment very clear; ‘whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did it to me’ (Matt.25: 40). It is interesting to note how Jesus continues to identify himself with the most insignificant of his brothers: ‘you did it to me.’ It is interesting as well and of course very relieving to note that the just seem to be unaware that, in their life of service to the unfortunate, it was God whom they were serving. So we are encouraged to be generous and loving to those who are unfortunate among us because then we are dealing indirectly with God. Most important of all, the Gospel makes it clear that the definitive judgment will be served on all and with equal justice. The Psalmist in psalm 23 invites us on Christ the King’s day, to sing with him; of the Lord as the Good Shepherd who will feed, guide and protect his sheep. And he reminds us that it is in the Lord that true goodness is to be found. In the second reading, St Paul seems to conclude our liturgical message by pointing out the resurrection of the dead as a matter of fact. As death was inherited from the first Adam, so will it be destroyed by the second Adam, allowing those who belong to Christ to form part of his kingdom. And in this Kingdom all will be subject to Christ the King. The doctrinal message in our liturgy brings out the three following elements: the Judgment, salvation and the condemnation. Jesus talks of the impending judgement that awaits each person. He emphasises clearly the criterion to be used in this judgement, which is the active attention to the needs of others, especially those who suffer. This teaching is characteristic of Christianity since it stresses brotherly love. That is the essence of Christianity; the practical interest in the needs of others that is to become the paramount concern of our lives. Hence our charity should not be a series of token gestures, but the very reason of our being, and the central motivation of all that we do. It is not enough not to heart people’s feelings, but what is rather required of us is the positive and practical concern to others. It is that which will make us worthy of God on the Day of Judgment. From a pastoral point of view, there is a danger in our modern society of stressing God’s mercy and kindness too much and at the expense of God’s justice and judgement. This gives us vague and hazy picture of eternal life, and the necessary qualifications to get it. Whenever we overstress God’s kindness, we seem to lose that kind of preoccupation of missing eternal life. We tend to convince ourselves that all will be well at the end since God loves all sinners, and cannot exclude anyone, that perhaps a sincere ‘sorry’ for our sins on arrival will assure all of us a place in the Kingdom. Well it is true that much of God’s justice and mercy goes beyond our understanding, but the Gospel’s approach on the last judgment and separation contains many elements which do not correspond to the idea that all shall be welcome. They will be separated for reward of punishment. Our liturgy gives us precise indications of our task as Christians if we are to be accepted in the Kingdom of God: God knows we are all sinners, but a distinction or a separation will be made all the same between those who shall have sinned in life while fulfilling their task, and those who shall have only their sins to show, because they did not make any effort at all to fulfil their Christian obligations toward fellow men and toward their Creator. This is remarkable today that some people knowingly consider Christian service as some type of second rate livelihood, a waste of life. Such people may find a Christian life unappealing and out of fashion. But this does not take away the fact that we shall all face judgement based on: ‘whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did it to me’, then the definitive judgment will be served on all.