"Kon ako nga Anak sang Tawo mag-abot na bilang Hari, nga ginaupdan sang tanan nga mga anghel, magapungko ako dayon sa akon trono nga harianon.
Ang tanan nga mga tawo sa kalibutan pagatipunon agod mag-atubang sa akon. Dayon painon ko sila sa duha ka grupo pareho sang pagpain sang manugbantay sa mga karnero sa mga kanding.
Ang mga tawo nga kaangay sang mga karnero ibutang ko sa akon tuo kag ang mga tawo nga kaangay sang mga kanding ibutang ko sa akon wala.
Kag bilang Hari, magasiling ako sa mga tawo sa akon tuo, 'Kamo nga ginpakamaayo sang Dios nga akon Amay, panublia ninyo ang ginharian nga ginpreparar para sa inyo halin pa sang pagtuga sang kalibutan.
Kay sang gin-gutom ako ginpakaon ninyo ako, kag sang gin-uhaw ako ginpainom ninyo ako. Sang nangin dumuluong ako ginpadayon ninyo ako sa inyo balay; sang wala ako sang bayo ginpabayuan ninyo ako; sang nagmasakit ako gin-atipan ninyo ako; kag sang ginpriso ako ginbisitahan ninyo ako.'
Dayon magasabat ang mga matarong sa akon tuo, 'Ginoo, san-o ka bala namon nakita nga gutom kag ginpakaon namon, ukon nauhaw kag ginpainom namon?
San-o ka bala namon nakita nga nangin dumuluong kag ginpadayon ka namon sa amon balay, ukon wala sing bayo kag ginpabayuan namon?
San-o ka bala namon nakita nga nagmasakit ukon napriso kag ginbisitahan namon?'
Ako nga Hari magasabat, 'Ang matuod, kon inyo ini ginhimo sa akon pinakakubos nga mga utod, pareho man nga ginhimo ninyo ini sa akon.' "
"Dayon magasiling ako sa mga tawo sa akon wala, 'Halin kamo diri sa akon, kamo nga ginpakamalaot sang Dios! Didto kamo sa kalayo nga nagadabadaba nga wala sng katapusan nga ginpreparar para kay Satanas kag sa iya mga anghel.
Kay gin-gutom ako pero wala ninyo ako ginpakaon, gin-uhaw ako pero wala ninyo ako ginpainom.
Sang dumuluong ako wala ninyo ako pagpadayuna sa inyo balay; sang wala ako bayo wala ninyo ako pagpabayui; pagmasakit ko kag sang pagkapriso ko wala ninyo ako pag-atipana.'
Dayon magasabat sila, 'Ginoo, san-o ka namon nakita nga gin-gutom ukon gin-uhaw, ukon wala dalayunan, ukon wala bayo, ukon nagmasakit, ukon napriso nga wala kami nagbulig sa imo?'
Kag ako nga Hari magasabat, 'Ang matuod, kon wala ninyo pagbuligi ang akon mga utod, bisan ang labing kubos sa panulok sang mga tawo, pareho lang ina nga wala ninyo ako pagbuligi.'
Kag ini sila pahalinon kag silutan sa wala sang katapusan. Pero ang mga matarong hatagan sang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan."
Prayers:
"Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Lord and King and there is no other. May
your love rule in my heart that I may think and act with charity towards
all.”
***
Reflection of the Daily Gospel:
What kind of future are you preparing for? What about the life to come after our death? God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for unending life and happiness with him. While death claims each of us at the appointed time, God gives us something which death cannot touch – his own divine life and sustaining power. We can either accept or reject the offer which God makes to us in Christ Jesus the Lord. The Day of the Lord will reveal what kind of life we have chosen for the age to come – a life of peace and joy with God or a life of misery and separation apart from God.
Jesus' parable of the separation of goats and sheep invites his audience to consider their lives in view of the age to come. What happens when you put sheep and goats together? Jesus' audience readily understood the need for separating the two. In arid lands, like Israel, goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. At nightfall, when the shepherd brought the sheep and goats to their place of rest, he separated them into two groups. Goats by temperament are aggressive, domineering, restless, and territorial. They butt heads with their horns whenever they think someone is intruding on their space.
What's the point of this story for us? The kind of life we choose to live now and the moral choices we make will have consequences that determine our future – for better or for worse. Separation is an inevitable consequence of judgement. The Day of Judgement will reveal who had true faith in God and who lived according to God's command to love him first above all else and to love one's neighbor as oneself, with true compassion and mercy (see Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18). Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are not called to flee the society around us nor to disdain those who treat us unfavorably or unfairly. We are to be leaven in a society that needs God's healing love and forgiveness. When we let our light shine we allow others to see God's love, truth, and compassion in the way we speak and treat them. God has shown us his incredible mercy and loving-kindness through his Son, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from the tyranny of sin and Satan, and a world blinded by vanity and deception. We are ambassadors for Christ and our mission is to bring his light, truth, and merciful love to those who stumble in darkness, ignorance, and unbelief.
As much as we might like to judge the parables, the parables, nonetheless, judge us by pointing out the consequences of the choices we make and the kind of life we choose to follow. Jesus teaches us a very important lesson about loving our neighbor and taking responsibility for others. God will judge us not only for the wrong we have done but also for what we have failed to do. Now is the time of God’s mercy, for seeking his help and grace to turn away from sin, and to walk in his way of love. We can love freely, generously, and unconditionally because God has already poured his love into our hearts through the gift and working of his Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Ask the Holy Spirit to purify your heart that you may love as God loves and live charitably with all.
This parable is similar to the parable about Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man let Lazarus die on his doorstep and was doomed to crave for drops of cold water he had not thought of giving to the poor man. When Martin of Tours (who lived in the 4th century), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin’s disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin “flew to be baptized.” God is gracious and merciful; his love compels us to treat others with mercy and kindness. When we do something for one of Christ's little ones, we do it for Christ. Do you treat your neighbor with mercy and love as Christ has treated you?
The scriptures present us with the choice between two kingdoms – the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The choice is ours. Which kingdom do you serve? God's kingdom lasts forever because it is built on the foundation of God's love and justice. To accept Jesus as Lord and King is to enter a kingdom that will last forever where righteousness, love, truth, and peace dwell. Is your life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus?
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