Come, you who are blessed by my Father

MONDAY 2 MARCH (Mt 25,31-46)

In our days, only the damned “believe” in hell. Here is what they say to us from this place of eternal torment: “They shall say among themselves, rueful and groaning through anguish of spirit: “We, then, have strayed from the way of truth, and the light of justice did not shine for us, and the sun did not rise for us. We had our fill of the ways of mischief and of ruin; we journeyed through impassable deserts, but the way of the Lord we knew not. What did our pride avail us? What have wealth and its boastfulness afforded us? All of them passed like a shadow and like a fleeting rumor; Like a ship traversing the heaving water, of which, when it has passed, no trace can be found, no path of its keel in the waves. Or like a bird flying through the air; no evidence of its course is to be found – But the fluid air, lashed by the beat of pinions, and cleft by the rushing force Of speeding wings, is traversed: and afterward no mark of passage can be found in it. Or as, when an arrow has been shot at a mark, the parted air straightway flows together again so that none discerns the way it went through – Even so we, once born, abruptly came to nought and held no sign of virtue to display, but were consumed in our wickedness.” Yes, the hope of the wicked is like thistledown borne on the wind, and like fine, tempest-driven foam; Like smoke scattered by the wind, and like the passing memory of the nomad camping for a single day” (Cf. Wis 5,1-16). For a poisoned joy of eternal death, for not having governed their instincts of wickedness, malice, pride and every other vice, for their foolishness and ignorance, they ended up in perdition and eternal damnation. Jesus reveals to the whole world that love is the way to eternal bliss. Egoism is the way to eternal perdition. A life closed in on itself is hell on earth and in eternity.

“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.”

If one damned alone could come out of hell, he would be the greatest believer in Christ Jesus and also the greatest evangelizer of his Word. He would give no sleep to his eyes. He would walk the earth far and wide in order to convince men that faith in the Word is the only way that leads to eternal bliss. Jesus, who comes from eternity, has consumed his life. He did everything to teach us the truth of the afterlife. He sealed his preaching with his blood spilled on the cross. His Word is most pure truth. Many saints in vision in spirit have also contemplated the reality of hell. St. Paul was kidnapped in the third heaven. These visions of the afterlife confirmed them in their evangelizing mission. Today Christians no longer believe in hell or in Paradise. Their apathy, sloth and indifference is great.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, make us of true faith in the Word that came from the mouth of Jesus.