Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal

Lev 19,1.2.11-16; Ps 18; Mt 25,31-46
11 MARCH

Everyone reads Jesus’ narration on the final judgment. But they separate it from its complete Gospel truth, but above all from the purest biblical eschatology. It must be immediately said that the narration is contained in Chapter XXV of the Gospel according to Matthew. There are XXIV Chapters before that are its hermeneutical and exegetical key. The same Chapter XXV contains two parables that are essence and substance of the judgment of the last day. It is very bad eschatology to reduce the Gospel to this narration alone, but it is also a diabolical interpretation to move the axis from eternity to time, to remove damnation and to use it only to recommend that some charitable works be done in favour of the needy. You cannot read this narration if you do not know the whole truth of Jesus about man. Jesus came to bring man back into the will of his Father and also to give him every grace so that he may live all the will of his Father. If the will of his Father consisted only in these six works of corporal mercy, we should say that idolatry, superstition, blasphemy, desecration of the Lord’s day, dishonour of the parents, murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, desire of the woman and the thing of others, would be traded with a little good done in favour of man. Can you abort and cover the abortion with a piece of bread given to a hungry person? Can the destruction of a family be replaced by a glass of water given to the thirsty? Can all the Commandments, the whole Sermon on the Mount be transgressed and think to be saved because one visits a prisoner? If this were true, the Church could close her doors, stop celebrating her sacraments. One way or another, everybody does a work of mercy. But what everyone does not know is this: the work of mercy must be performed from the truth of man, from his perfect justice and from full obedience to every commandment. The good is accomplished from the Word, by living the Word and growing in an ever more perfect obedience to the Word.

“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.”

What then is the ministry of the Church regarding works of mercy? In her sacred ministers, she is obliged above all to form the true man in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. She forms him by giving every man the heart of Christ as his own heart so that he loves with it. Putting the eyes of the Holy Spirit in place of the fleshy eyes, so that he may see Christ in every needy person and serve him with the heart of Christ. Donating the will of the Father, so that man can love from the will of God and not from his own. There is no love and there are no true works of mercy without obedience to the Word. Who is in the Word, who lives the Word, can love according to God.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, give us the true understanding of every Word of Jesus.