Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (25: 31-46) in which the disciples ask Jesus, ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty or in need and not help?’ and he says, ‘whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Fr Paul says this is the last of Matthew’s great parables. The world is finally divided into ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. The great dramatic scene here depicted will not necessarily happen all at once, but we shall each of us at the moment of death face the judgment of our divine Lord in his glory. This confrontation will be an experience far more awesome and shattering than any description can express, and yet fulfilling and re-assuring. We will know at last our own infinite value to God.

Two striking points are stressed in the parable.

Firstly, we will be judged uniquely on our treatment of those in any kind of need. Not on our prayer-life. Not on our piety or penances undertaken. Only on our respect for others, how far we look to see what they need and what we can give.

The second striking point is the reason for the first: that Christ is in each person. What we do to others, we do to Christ.

We might reflect and pray today that we see Christ in others and help those in need.