The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel - Cardinal Bacci

The Most Terrifying Passage in the Gospel

1. The preaching of Jesus Christ bears the stamp of gentleness and kindness towards humanity, especially towards sinners. There is, however, one passage in the Gospel which inspires real dread. Let us quote it in full.

“When the Son of Man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory...; and before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left.”

“Then the king will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me…’ Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘Depart from me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Amen, I say to you, as long as you did not do it for one of these least ones, you did not do it for me.’ And these will go into everlasting punishment .” (Cf. Mt. 25:31-46)

These are terrifying words, in the light of which each one of us has something with which to reproach himself.

2. Why should the Eternal Judge punish or reward us in accordance with our own deeds of charity and of mercy towards our unfortunate fellow-men? Simply because Christianity consists mainly of charity, since God Himself is charity. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”(1 John 4:16) When charity is genuine, being the love of God above all things and of our neighbour as ourselves, it is “the bond of perfection,” (Col. 3:14) and “bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:7)True love, in the Christian sense, presupposes faith, hope and all the other virtues, whereas faith without charity is, as St. Paul says, as futile as “a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1) Even the devils have faith, but their faith will not save them. “He who does not love,” St. John tells us, “abides in death.” (1 John 3:14)

3. Do we hope to be saved and to hear on the day of judgment that welcome invitation: “Come, blessed of my father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Mt. 25:34) If we do, let us be charitable. Let us root out the spirit of egoism from our hearts, have compassion on the misfortunes of our needy brethren, and help them in any way we can. Above all, let us recognise the person of Jesus Christ Himself dwelling in His poor, and let us love them even as we love Him. Let us show our love in deeds, not merely in words, for the Gospel warns us that if we fail to do this we shall be damned forever.