Today, we are reminded of the Last Judgement, when the Son of Man will come in his glory with all his angels (Matthew 25:31). Acts such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked and visiting the sick are works of Christian love, and Christians can see Christ himself reflected in these acts.
Saint John of the Cross says, ‘At dusk, your love will be tested. Learn to love God as he wants to be loved and forget your own desires”. Not doing something you should do in service to other children of God, our brothers and sisters, means depriving Christ of these elements of proper love; these are sins of omission.
In its document Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council explains the requirements of Christian charity and social assistance. It says: ‘In our time, our duty to draw as close as possible to every person in need and serve them with love becomes especially urgent. This duty applies to an elderly person abandoned by all, a child born out of wedlock who pays for a sin they did not commit, and a hungry person who reminds us of the words of our Lord: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). Let us remember that Christ lives in Christians, and that he himself tells us: ‘I am with you always, to the end of the world’ (Matthew 28:20).
IV. The Lateran Council defines the Last Judgment as a truth of faith: “Jesus Christ will finally come at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to give to each one according to his works, whether the condemned or the chosen (…) to receive according to his works, whether good or bad: these will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into the eternal glory of Christ.” Therefore, let us ask the Virgin Mary every day for help in carrying out works of love for her Son in our brothers and sisters.
