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November 22, 2020
Christ the King, November 22, 2020
by Rev. Rudolf Ofori
Readings: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28; Mat 25: 31-46
Today’s parable repeats a theme that is found in many other parables, parables that tell us this is a time to come to him for forgiveness and mercy. Then there will come a time when it will be too late: a time when God will ask us to give an accounting of ourselves. We see this theme in the parable of the talents, the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins, the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the parable of the great wedding feast where those invited offered lame excuses for why they could not come, as well as the part about the guest without the wedding garment, the parable of the unforgiving steward, the parable of the unjust steward and the parable about the rich man and Lazarus, just to mention a few that immediately come to mind.
If it disturbs us to think of Jesus as a judge who can condemn as well as forgive then we can remember what Jesus said in John’s gospel: ‘’I came not to condemn the world but to save the world.’’ ( Jn. 12: 47 ). He goes on to say, ‘’the one who rejects me and does not receive my word has something to judge him; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge (jn.12:48).” In other words, the way we live will catch up with us. There is karma in the universe. The good we have done the good we haven’t done and the evil we have done will judge us; Jesus will not have to. There is no getting around that. Now is the time for forgiveness. Now is the time to start over, (in the language of the gospel, the time for conversion). We’ve seen many TV shows of judges sitting in a courtroom handing out reward or punishment. I believe that in the final analysis, when the time comes for us to stand before Jesus, he will not be like a judge sitting in a courtroom. It will be the love that is in us, the love for God, and the love for others that will determine whether our eternity will be an eternity of peace and joy or an eternity full of regret for having thrown away the opportunities God gave us to know him and love him and love others.
The truth Jesus teaches in today’s parable is reflected in the real-life experience of the conversion of St. Paul. When Paul, before his conversion, was persecuting the Christians and was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial, Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light. Paul asked, ‘’who are you, Lord?’’ Jesus answered, ‘’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’’ What Paul was doing to Jesus’ followers, he was doing to Jesus. A powerful image! It is this concept that inspired many saints to dedicate themselves to minister to the poor and suffering such as Mother Theresa, St. Martin de Pores, Damian the leper, and many others.
What you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do to me. This does not imply that we can ignore our obligation to worship, praise and thank God. It is, after all, the first and greatest commandment to love God above all things. Today we are reminded how important the second commandment is, which is like the first: to love our neighbor as ourselves. Loving God, loving Jesus inspires us to love our neighbor for when we love another, relative, friend, associate, even someone who dislikes us or whom we dislike, especially if they are truly needy, we love Jesus. Amen.