Last Judgment

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 6:12-16

1 Thes 4:13-18

Mt 25:1-13

Last judgment

Story of the taxi driver and a priest

Since I was young, I have always heard that the last day will be very terrible, when everyone must be punished for their wrongdoings. Those who committed mortal sins may suffer “eternal punishment.” I was terrified because I thought I might have to go to hell.

It sounds scary, but this is only one of the aspects of the last judgment. The Day of the Lord goes beyond judging. It can be a great day of joy when we see the face of God, receive his loving mercy and merciful judgment, and, most importantly, receive eternal salvation from our brother Jesus Christ.

As Pope Benedict XVI states, it is the day of the “first and the foremost hope.” It is the day of great hope when our Lord Jesus will fulfill what he has promised: that we were created not for judgment but for salvation.

But the question is, what will it look like on the last judgment?

Pope Benedict XVI said that the last judgment manifests the truth. God is truth and judges the truth through Christ. The final judgment will manifest all things, and everyone will be judged according to the truth; everything will be put right and revealed as what they are or were.

The good news for all of us is that Jesus will be the judge at the last judgment. Jesus is our greatest hope because He fully understands the human condition, for he went through it. It is the day of hope, for Christ has died for our sins once and for all. As St. Paul said in the second reading, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so, too, will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

So, what should we do to prepare for the last judgment?

Story: there is a young man in his twenties who had to care for his younger brothers and sisters because his parents had passed away.

This young man was always concerned about money and how he would feed his siblings.

One day, he met a man who told him he could easily fix all his problems. The man was a thief and was planning a bank robbery. He had all the plans worked out, but he needed a get-away driver.

The young man was torn; he knew it was wrong, but because of his brothers and sisters, he decided to help.

On the day of the robbery, something went very wrong. The thief got into the get-away car with no money but blood all over his hands. He had shot and killed a security guard.

Afraid of what would happen, the young man fled the state. He boarded a train going anywhere.

When he was sitting on the train, the young man, so filled with anguish and guilt, hadn’t even noticed that there was an older gentleman sitting next to him.

The older gentleman softly asked, “son, what is troubling you?”

Knowing that the young man would never see this gentleman again, he decided to tell him the entire story.

The older gentleman listened with compassion. He then told the young man to get off at the next stop, turn himself in and tell the authorities the entire truth, just as he had told him. He gave the young man an encouraging look and told him to have faith that the judge would have mercy on him.

Although the young man was afraid, he got off at the next stop and turned himself in.

The young man went to jail and awaited his trial.

On the day of his trial, he was brought into the courtroom to talk with the judge. When he entered the courtroom, he saw the judge was the old gentleman on the train!

The point of this story is to show that at the end of our lives, we will be judged, but we have the opportunity to be friends of the judge from this life. We must be friends of the judge like the five wise virgins who prepared the lamps with many oils.

Wise friends of the judge make good use of their conscience and freedom and prepare well to welcome the judge, who will invite them to the wedding feast with him and enjoy the supreme delight of God’s presence. The friends of the judge prepare for eternal life, not judgment.

We need to be friends of the judge by doing what he asks us to do. He will give us the grace to do whatever he asks—for example, giving others a smile or a cup of water. And we come to meet Jesus on the last day; come, Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Because “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 'Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. '

It is a great thing because Jesus, our friend, will be the judge on the last day. The best way to be close with our judge is the Eucharist. It is the same Jesus, who died on the cross more than 2 thousand years is present in the Eucharist. It is the same Jesus who is here in the Eucharist and will be our judge on the last day. And it is the same Jesus we receive in the Eucharist that will judge us.

We need to prepare for the last day of the Lord in this present time because we do not know when the Lord will come; he will indeed come, perhaps at the time we least expect.

Remember what Jesus said, “Stay awake and be ready! For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”