23 November 2008 CHRIST THE KING (A-2)
Mt. 25,31-46 “ …” I was hungry and you gave me no food…”
The core of Jesus’ moral teaching we hear from his today Good News : Jesus identifies himself with the needy, the deprived and the downtrodden of society:
“ I was hungry and you gave me no food….”
“ …I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these you neglected to do it to me…”
Jesus’ identification with the downtrodden in our community reminds us forcibly that our entry into heavenly home depends on the effort we make to aid and comfort the needy in our present lives. It is really a challenging gospel we hear, a powerful moment of the last judgment and a stark choice of being for or against Christ now, being for or against the downtrodden in our everyday lives. There is no in between.
As Christians we all should remember this teaching of Jesus, and live up to its requirement. No one of us can afford to forget that Jesus, as a loving universal King, is to judge us in our last day. He will judge us, on the works of mercy we perform which is our response to human need.
Globally we are all sharing God’s blessings. He created everything for all us human beings to enjoy, live in peace and love. Understanding this way, Christianity lays great stress on our involvement in our global community. The world around us - and the whole universe -is put into our hands in trust and stewardship.
We proclaim Christ our Supreme King today. As a supreme king, Jesus is always walking the earth among us, in the guise mostly of our neighbor who is suffering and in want. His kingdom of love and peace is for sharing, when we give of our time, energy and love in performing practical acts of charity.
“ I assure you ,as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.”