THE Lord is a shepherd who cares for His flock, so that goodness and kindness will always follow His loved ones (Psalm 23:1–2, 2–3, 5–6). In the end, the Son of Man will let into God’s kingdom those who have treated His disciples well, and exclude those who failed to show kindness to the least of His brothers (Matthew 25:31–46).
The Lord takes care of His flock
ONE of most beloved psalms in the Bible, Psalm 23 portrays God as a shepherd who guides His flock to green pastures and refreshing waters, and shields them from predators and from harm while passing through difficult territory. To portray the Lord as a shepherd is to have trust and confidence in His ability to look after His flock with tender compassion (rahumin) and to attend to their needs. Each sheep leads a peaceful life under His tender care; with abundant grass for grazing and calm waters to drink from, he is nourished and refreshed in his deepest being.
The shepherd’s relationship with His sheep is also moral; for the sake of the Lord’s name, the psalmist is led in the right path, in the way of righteousness. This way of the Lord is His enduring covenant kindness (hesed) that accompanies His covenant partner all his life. That is why man fears no evil while passing through dark valleys, because he knows that the Lord is there and being true to His commitment. And the psalmist speaks directly to God: “You are with me, and with Your shepherd’s staff You ward off dangers and steady the entire flock. You prepare nourishment for me. It testifies to all my foes how much You love me. You anoint me and I will enjoy Your favor until I dwell in Your house forever.”
Come and be blessed by my Father
IN apocalyptic splendor and majesty, the scene of the Last Judgment portrays the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, the sheep from the goats. All people are brought before the glorious throne of the Son of Man; there is no escaping the final evaluation. What is the principle of division, of putting the sheep on the right hand (the place of privilege) and the goats on the left? The righteous ones are invited to enter the Kingdom envisioned already for them at the foundation of the world; they are blessed by the Father of the Son-King with such an inheritance. The unrighteous, on the other hand, are condemned to the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his companions. One receives eternal life; the other, eternal punishment.
The Father blesses those on the right because they have been good to His Son-King. They ministered to Him, provided food, drink, shelter, clothing, medication and companionship. When did the blessed ones give the Son-King food, drink, shelter, medicine and friendship? Bewilderment appears on the part of the accursed. They are dismissed and condemned to suffer everlasting punishment, because they did not minister to the Son when He was hungry, thirsty, naked and sick. When? They do not remember seeing Him so, and doing nothing for Him. Is how you treated the King all that matters?
For one of the least of my brothers
THE answer of the Son-King to their questions is this: “Whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, you did for Me. And just as you did not do it to one of the least of them, you did not do it to Me.” The Son of Man—the King—reveals that He is so connected and united with His followers and family that when anyone performs these services for even the least of His brothers and sisters, he or she performs them for Him. To receive Jesus’s disciples, His brethren, the little ones (Matthew 10:42), is to receive Him, and to reject any one of them is to reject Him (cf. Matthew 10:40).
The righteous ones—the sheep—did not see the Son of Man or the King; they simply attended to the needs of their neighbors who were hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick and jailed. They extended their love to others who were distressed without calculating their status or ability to repay. The accursed ones—the goats—did not also see the Son-King, but had they known it was Him, they would have helped. The King has the resources to repay; therefore, they would have calculated that such good deeds would have been ultimately beneficial to them.
Alálaong bagá, for the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Son-King of the Gospel, the shepherd full of tender compassion for His flock in Psalm 23, looks for that one quality in those for whom the Kingdom of the Father has been prepared. He wants to see His boundless love reflected in the love of those who love others, as He loves them. That means caring for every person we encounter, immediately, because we are thereby sharing with one another the Kingdom of God.
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