Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
The Lord, the Shepherd of Israel
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[11] ”For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. [12] As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep” have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. [13] And I will bring them up from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country. [14] I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. [15] I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. [16] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over;” I will feed them in justice.
[17] ”As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats.
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Commentary:
34:11-22. Ezekiel says that God has made himself a shepherd for his people (v. 11); he always looks out for them (vv. 12-16), neglecting none. This solicitude includes the practice of justice (vv. 17-22); in this new stage it becomes clearer that divine love and mercy are compatible with condemnation of the wicked (v. 20): in fact, love can never exclude justice. This beautiful oracle resounds in our Lord’s parable of the Good Shepherd who takes care of his sheep (cf. Jn 10:1-21), in what he says about the Father’s joy on finding the lost sheep (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7), and in things he has to say about the Last Judgment as reported by St Matthew (Mt 25:31-46). In a sermon on pastors, St Augustine comments: “He stands guard over us when we are awake and while we sleep. If an earthly flock is safe in the vigilant care of a human shepherd, how much more secure are we, who have God as our shepherd, not only because he desires to teach and help us, but because he is our creator. "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats" (Ezek 34:17). Why are he-goats to be found among God’s flock? Goats who will be sent to the left, and sheep that will be called to the right side of God, are to be found in the same fields and by the same streams; and He tends together those who will later be separated. The meek patience of sheep is an imitation of the patience of God. He will separate the flock later, sending some to the right and some to the left” ("Sermones", 47).
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From: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
The Basis of Our Faith (Continuation)
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[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. [27] "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him.
[28] When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to everyone.
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Commentary:
20-28. The Apostle insists on the solidarity that exists between Christ and Christians: as members of one single body, of which Christ is the head, they form as it were one organism (cf. Rom 6:3-11; Gal 3:28). Therefore, once the resurrection of Christ is affirmed, the resurrection of the just necessarily follows. Adam's disobedience brought death for all; Jesus, the new Adam, has merited that all should rise (cf. Rom 5:12-21). "Again, the resurrection of Christ effects for us the resurrection of our bodies not only because it was the efficient cause of this mystery, but also because we all ought to arise after the example of the Lord. For with regard to the resurrection of the body we have this testimony of the Apostle: 'As by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:21). In all that God did to accomplish the mystery of our redemption he made use of the humanity of Christ as an effective instrument, and hence his resurrection was, as it were, an instrument for the accomplishment of our resurrection" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 13).
Although St Paul here is referring only to the resurrection of the just (v. 23), he does speak elsewhere of the resurrection of all mankind (cf. Acts 24:15). The doctrine of the resurrection of the bodies of all at the end of time, when Jesus will come in glory to judge everyone, has always been part of the faith of the Church; "he [Christ] will come at the end of the world, he will judge the living and the dead; and he will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works. And all those will rise with their own bodies which they now have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal glory with 'Christ" (Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", chap. 1).
23-28. St Paul outlines very succinctly the entire messianic and redemptive work of Christ: by decree of the Father, Christ has been made Lord of the universe (cf. Mt 28:18), in fulfillment of Ps 110:1 and Ps 8:7. When it says here that "the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him", this must be understood as referring to Christ in his capacity of Messiah and head of the Church; not Christ as God, because the Son is "begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").
Christ's sovereignty over all creation comes about in history, but it will achieve its final, complete, form after the Last Judgment. The Apostle presents that last event--a mystery to us--as a solemn act of homage to the Father. Christ will offer all creation to his Father as a kind of trophy, offering him the Kingdom which up to then had been confided to his care. From that moment on, the sovereignty of God and Christ will be absolute, they will have no enemies, no rivals; the stage of combat will have given way to that of contemplation, as St Augustine puts it (cf. "De Trinitate", 1, 8).
The Parousia or second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time, when he establishes the new heaven and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1-2), will mean definitive victory over the devil, over sin, suffering and death. A Christian's hope in this victory is not something passive: rather, it is something that spurs him on to ensure that even in this present life Christ's teaching and spirit imbue all human activities. "Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth," Vatican II teaches, "the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the Kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society.
"When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our enterprise--human dignity, brotherly communion, and freedom—according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace ("Roman Missal", preface for the solemnity of Christ the King). Here on earth the Kingdom is mysteriously present; when the Lord comes it will enter into its perfection" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 39).
24. "When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father": this does not quite catch the beauty of the Greek which literally means "when he delivers the kingdom to the God and Father". In New Testament Greek, when the word "Theos" (God) is preceded by the definite article ("ho Theos") the first person of the Blessed Trinity is being referred to.
25. "He must reign": every year, on the last Sunday of ordinary time, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King, to acknowledge his absolute sovereignty over all created things. On instituting this feast, Pius XI pointed out that "He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the teachings of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or, to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of righteousness unto God (Rom 6:13)" ("Quas Primas").
27. By "all things" the Apostle clearly means all created beings. In pagan mythology, rivalry and strife occurred among the gods and sometimes led to the son of a god supplanting his father. St Paul wants to make it quite clear that Sacred Scripture suggests nothing of that kind. No subjection is possible among the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, because they are one God.
28. The subjection of the son which St Paul speaks of here is in no way opposed to his divinity. He is referring to what will happen when Christ's mission as Redeemer and Messiah comes to an end, that is, once final victory is won over the devil, sin and its consequences. The final victory of Jesus Christ will restore to all creation its original harmony, which sin destroyed.
"Who can realize", St Bernard comments, "the indescribable sweetness contained in these few words: God will be everything to everyone? Not to speak of the body, I see three things in the soul--mind, will and memory; and these three are one and the same. Everyone who lives according to the spirit senses in this present life how far he falls short of wholeness and perfection. Why is this, if not because God is not yet everything to everyone? That is why ones' mind is so often mistaken in the judgment it makes, that is why one's will experiences such restlessness, why one's memory is thrown into confusion by many things. The noble person is, without wanting to be, at the mercy of this triple vanity, yet he does not lose hope. For he who responds so generously to the desires of the soul must also provide the mind with fullness and light, the will with abundance of peace, and the memory with visions of eternity. O truth, O charity, O eternity, O blessed and blessing Trinity! This wretched trinity of mine, sighs for thee, for it is unfortunately still far from thee" ("Sermon on the Song of Songs", 11).
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From: Matthew 25:31-46
The Last Judgment
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[31] "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. [32] Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, [33] and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. [34] Then the King will say to those at His right hand, `Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; [35] for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, [36] I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.' [37] Then the righteous will answer Him, `Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? [38] And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? [39] And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?' [40] And the King will answer them, `Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of My brethren, you did it to Me.' [41] Then He will say to those at His left hand, `Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; [42] for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' [44] Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?' [45] Then He will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.' [46] And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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Commentary:
31-46. The three parables (Matthew 24:42-51; 25:1-13; and 25:14-30) are completed by the announcement of a rigorous last judgment, a last act in a drama, in which all matters of justice are resolved. Christian tradition calls it the Last Judgment, to distinguish it from the "Particular Judgment" which everyone undergoes immediately after death. The sentence pronounced at the end of time will simply be a public, formal confirmation of that already passed on the good and the evil, the elect and the reprobate.
31-33. In the Prophets and in the Book of Revelation the Messiah is depicted on a throne, like a judge. This is how Jesus will come at the end of the world, to judge the living and the dead.
The Last Judgment is a truth spelled out in the very earliest creedal statements of the Church and dogma of faith solemnly defined by Benedict XII in the Constitution "Benedictus Deus" (29 January 1336).
35-46. All the various things listed in this passage (giving people food and drink, clothing them, visiting them) become works of Christian charity when the person doing them sees Christ in these "least" of His brethren.
Here we can see the seriousness of sins of omission. Failure to do something which one should do means leaving Christ unattended.
"We must learn to recognize Christ when He comes out to meet us in our brothers, the people around us. No human life is ever isolated. It is bound up with other lives. No man or woman is a single verse; we all make up one divine poem which God writes with the cooperation of our freedom" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 111).
We will be judged on the degree and quality of our love (cf. St. John of the Cross, "Spiritual Sentences and Maxims", 57). Our Lord will ask us to account not only for the evil we have done but also for the good we have omitted. We can see that sins of omission are a very serious matter and that the basis of love of neighbor is Christ's presence in the least of our brothers and sisters.
St. Teresa of Avila writes: "Here the Lord asks only two things of us: love for His Majesty and love of our neighbor. It is for these two virtues that we must strive, and if we attain them perfectly we are doing His will [...]. The surest sign that we are keeping these two commandments is, I think, that we should really be loving our neighbor; for we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to Himself, and that in a thousand ways: this I cannot doubt" ("Interior Castle", V, 3).
This parable clearly shows that Christianity cannot be reduced to a kind of agency for "doing good". Service of our neighbor acquires supernatural value when it is done out of love for Christ, when we see Christ in the person in need. This is why St. Paul asserts that "if I give away all I have...but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). Any interpretation of Jesus' teaching on the Last Judgment would be wide of the mark if it gave it a materialistic meaning or confused mere philanthropy with genuine Christian charity.
40-45. In describing the exigencies of Christian charity which gives meaning to "social aid", the Second Vatican Council says: "Wishing to come to topics that are practical and of some urgency, the Council lays stress on respect for the human person: everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as another self, bearing in mind, above all, his life and the means necessary for living it in a dignified way, `lest he follow the example of the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man' (cf. Luke 16:18-31).
"Today there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every man, no matter who he is, and if we meet him, to come to his aid in a positive way, whether he is an aged person abandoned by all, a foreign worker despised without reason, a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a starving human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of Christ: `As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" ("Gaudium Et Spes," 27).
46. The eternal punishment of the reprobate and the eternal reward of the elect are a dogma of faith solemnly defined by the Magisterium of the Church in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): "He [Christ] will come at the end of the world; He will judge the living and the dead; and He will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works. And all these will rise with their own bodies which they now have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal glory with Christ."