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Explanation. Teach the people what the scriptures mean, not just what they say.

Thank you for the clarification. In your original comment you wrote:

I've been to many catholic masses. They recite scripture during the service. However, exposition is not there.

At mass in every Catholic Church, the Gospel is read after which the priest preaches a homily (or exposition, if you prefer) on the reading. I can't recall ever attending a Sunday mass when a homily was not preached. Granted, Catholic priests rarely deliver their homilies against backdrops or bands or flashing images - but they clearly explain the meaning of the gospel. Do you know the origin of this practice?

This morning's gospel was Matthew 25:31-46 - The Judgment of the Nations. As we end the liturgical calendar (in the Catholic Church, we follow a calendar of readings), our minds and hearts turn toward Christ as King and the end times. I have heard this gospel read many times but our pastor's homily (i.e. exposition) on the reading, touched on something I had not heard before. It was startling and something I had not considered. His words have burrowed deep into my heart and I will be reflecting on them throughout the week.

Now you claim that when you attended mass at a Catholic Church, there was no homily (i.e. exposition). You have now moved on to another church where not only do you hear these readings EXPLAINED but where you are encouraged to also read them (which is also true in the Catholic Church). Still pondering this morning's homily, lets see how your pastor has interpreted that particular reading. I would be most interested and hopeful to learn something new. Many thanks!

That passage is embedded in a series of dialogues given by Christ discussing judgment Day toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew. The Jews were so convinced that all they needed was their ethnic background (descendants of Abraham) to reach Heaven that Jesus found it necessary to warn them of the dire error of their thinking shortly before He went to Calvary. They would be included in the masses of people from all nations called up for judgment on the last day.

In this particular dialogue Jesus emphasizes the necessity of helping the under-privileged (the previous passage emphasized readiness and the one before that emphasized the impossibility of predicting God's timing) to reflect a life devoted to God. The Jews, who were relying on their heritage, were neglectful of charity. A few chapters previously (ch.23) Jesus had castigated the Jewish leaders sharply for their utter hypocrisy...now He's describing the end of ANY individual who has denied God and His works.

Granted, Catholic priests rarely deliver their homilies against backdrops or bands or flashing images - but they clearly explain the meaning of the gospel

This is where we disagree.

In my experience many homilies did not explain the scripture. Rather, the priest spoke a social message which was only loosely related to the scripture...or not related at all.