Meatfare Sunday, Tone 2; Post-feast of the Encounter; Our Venerable Father Isidore of Pelusium (408-50)
Read
1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2; Matthew 25:31-46
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that while trusting in Christ’s love and mercy, we must not forget His righteous judgment when He comes again in glory. If our hearts remain hardened and unrepentant, we should not expect the Lord to overlook our transgressions simply because He is a good and loving God. Although He does not desire the death of a sinner, He also expects us to turn from our wickedness and live.
The time for repentance and forgiveness is now, in the present life. At the Second Coming, Christ will appear as the righteous Judge, Who will render to every man according to his deeds. Then the time for entreating God’s mercy and forgiveness will have passed.
Sin is the absence of love, it is separation and isolation. When Christ comes to judge the world, His criterion for judgment will be love. Christian love entails seeing Christ in other people, our family, our friends, and everyone else we may encounter in our lives. We shall be judged on whether we have loved, or not loved, our neighbor. We show Christian love when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick or in prison. If we did such things for the least of Christ’s brethren, then we also did them for Christ. If we did not do such things for the least of the brethren, neither did we do them for Christ.