On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ. It’s quite different from how we ordinarily think of a king. Rather than a ruler who makes his power known over his subjects, our God is like a shepherd tending his flock. As we hear in this Sunday’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, God will look after his sheep “as a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep” (Ez 34:11). Like every good shepherd, God knows us by name and cares for our every need. He leads us away from the danger of sin and death to the green pastures of heaven. We are familiar with this image of God; it is found throughout the Bible. It is often used in reference to his son, Jesus, as well. When we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany at the beginning of the year we hear that Jesus comes to shepherd God’s people. During the Easter season, we hear that Jesus is the good shepherd who leads his flock to safe pastures.
This Sunday, however, we hear in the Gospel of a different role that Jesus plays. Like a shepherd at the end of the day separates “the sheep from the goats” (Mt 25:32), Jesus will separate us at the end of time when he comes in glory. Christ’s kingship is both one of service to his flock and of judgment over his flock. Following God’s call – presented so clearly for us in the life and ministry of his son – we are to remain strong in our relationship with God and attentive in our care for everyone we encounter, leading them back to our loving Father. God sent his son to shepherd us. He is God in the flesh and he cares for us with an endless love. In turn, he calls us to care for each other as he cares for us.
When Jesus was in our midst, we see that he had special care and concern for the outcasts: lepers, widows, public sinners and foreigners. In listening to today’s Gospel, we are reminded that “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). The “least brothers” include the hungry, the stranger, as well as those who are sick and in prison – all those our society so often wants to disregard or discard. When the Lord teaches us that whatever we do to the least, we do to him, he teaches us that God resides in everyone. And, it is Jesus, our Lord and King, who will judge us at the end of time. As we hear so clearly in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we will be judged by how we share God’s love, especially with those forgotten by society.
Yes, we are fortunate to be citizens of this country but we are citizens first and foremost of the Kingdom of God. On this, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, let us reflect seriously on the end of our lives and rededicate ourselves to preparing ourselves for that time when our Lord, the Good Shepherd, separates us like a shepherd separates his flock so that we will be among the sheep on his right and so enter into his heavenly sheepfold!