Perhaps a great surprise in Christ’s parable of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) is that God’s judgment of us is not based on the sins which we have committed but rather is based on the charity we gave or failed to give. The Christian spirituality which became so focused on sin and sinners has forgotten this lesson from our Lord Jesus. It has focused on the wickedness of sinners, but Christ in this parable says God’s judgment of us is to be based on our willingness to love others, to have compassion for others, to show mercy to others, and to give in charity. Pointing an accusing finger at others because of their sins is us focusing on the wrong thing.
Christ came to save sinners and to love us so that we might also love and forgive others. Judgment looms over those who fail to show mercy and love to the littlest of Christ’s brothers and sisters. Jesus does not promise we will attain heaven because of our willingness to point out the sins of others. Numerous saints tell us that our focus on sin misses the mark (which is the definition of sin! amartia). Instead of seeing sinners everywhere and seeing all their sins, we are to see people created in God’s image and likeness and to be neighbors to these people loving them as we love ourselves, serving them and meeting their needs. That is the aspect of our lives that God will be looking at on Judgment Day.
Gregory [of Nazianzus] concludes his long, impassioned appeal for financial support by citing Matthew 25: 31-46, in which Christ identifies the needy with himself:
If you believe me at all, then, servants and brothers and sisters and fellow heirs of Christ, let us take care of Christ while there is still time. Let us minister to Christ’s needs, let us give Christ nourishment, let us clothe Christ, let us gather Christ in, let us show Christ honor, . . . not just with gold and frankincense and myrrh, like the Magi . . .
Let us give this gift to him through the needy, who today are cast down on the ground, so that when we all are released from this place, they may receive us into the eternal tabernacle, in Christ himself, who is our Lord, to whom be glory for all the ages. Amen. (Nonna Verna Harrison, GOD’S MANY-SPLENDORED IMAGE, pp 101-102)
Instead of thinking of this as Judgment Sunday, we should be inspired by the Gospel to think about this as Mercy Sunday, Compassion Sunday, Charity Sunday. And this might cause us to rejoice in realizing that through charity God has opened the doors of Paradise to us. God does not expect miracles from us, just charity which is well within our powers to do.
Fraternized 