Psalm 95:1-7a / Matthew. 25:31-46

This Sunday, November 26, is Reign of Christ Sunday (also known as Christ the King Sunday). It is the final Sunday in the Christian year. And our Gospel reading is a doozy: Matthew 25:31-46. This passage is known as The Judgment. 

Every Sunday as part of our Eucharistic liturgy (the Great Thanksgiving during our celebration of Communion), we say what is known as The Acclimation:

"Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." Matthew 25:31-46 has to do with the, "Christ will come again," part. Read Matthew 25:31-46 with this statement in mind.

First, notice the parallel in verses 37 and 44. What does this say about our conscious efforts to please God? What does it say about where our compassion for others should come from?

Rather than try to explain away the apparent permanence of the judgment in verse 46, I leave you to ponder it. What questions does it evoke for you? What feelings? What convictions? (Hint: it is OK to scratch your head and say, "I don't know what this is trying to say.").