Scripture Study for
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Ezekiel 34:11–12, 15–17 / Psalm 23:1 / 1 Corinthians 15:20–26, 28 / Matthew 25:31–46
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Understanding the Word
By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
The image of the good shepherd aptly characterizes God’s concern and personal intervention in the shepherding of the flock. The first reading describes how God fulfills the role of shepherd primarily in two ways: by caring for the sheep and by separating the good from the bad. Those who were responsible for the sheep failed to carry out their responsibilities. They were not attentive to their charges and so the owner of the flock steps in to shepherd the flock personally. The rest of the oracle of salvation confirms this. The final scene is one of judgment, an appropriate theme for the last Sunday of the liturgical year.
Paul brings together several of his most treasured themes: the effectiveness of Christ’s resurrection, human solidarity in Adam and in Christ, the sequence of events surrounding the end of time, the victory of Christ, and the ultimate reign of God. The reading carries us back through time to the primordial period of beginnings, and then forward to the end of time and the eschatological age of fulfillment. Every aspect of these events is grounded in the resurrection of Christ. At the final consummation, God will be all in all. All came from God; all returns to God. At the end, all purposes will be realized. All reality will have come home.
The scene of the Last Judgment as it unfolds before us today is both sobering and surprising. It is a scene of apocalyptic splendor and majesty, a scene of separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, a scene of reward and punishment. The image of the shepherd separating the sheep from goats would have been quite familiar to Jesus’ original audience. What is surprising is the reason given for the judgment. It is not the accomplishment of some phenomenal feat. Rather, people are judged on whether or not they meet the very basic human needs of others. The scene is sobering because one gets the sense that there is no way of escaping it.