Throughout the whole period of catechetical meetings, you learned about God's great work, called salvation. Do you know, that God has saved the world through Jesus Christ, your son. You end one period of your life. You are getting acquainted with the last catechesis.
And what now ? What's next ? What you should remember ? What must accompany you throughout your life ?
The Gospel read for the Solemnity of Christ the King gives you the answer (year A) :
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his throne, full of glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate some (people) from others, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on the right, and the goats on his left. Then the King will speak to those on the right : «Come, blessed are my Father, take possession of the kingdom, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Because I was hungry, and you gave me to eat ; I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink ; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me ; I was naked, and you clothed me ; I was sick, and you visited me ; I was in prison, and you came to me ». Then the righteous will ask : «Lord, when we saw you hungry and fed you ? Thirsty and we gave you a drink ? When we saw you as a stranger and welcomed you ? or naked and we clothed you ? When we saw you sick or in prison and came to you ? »And the King will answer them : «Truly I say to you : All, what you did to one of the least of these my brothers, You have done to me ».
Then he will speak to those on the left as well : «Get away from me, cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Because I was hungry, and you have not given me to eat ; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink ; I was a stranger, and you did not accept me ; I was naked, and you did not clothe me ; I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me ».
Then they will also ask : «Lord, when we saw you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, when sick or in prison, and we did not serve you ? »Then he will answer them : «Truly I say to you : All, which you did not do to one of the least of these, you have not done this for me ». And they will go to eternal torment for you, but the righteous to eternal life " (Mt 25, 31-46).
"He will come to judge the living and the dead"
The above words summarize all of Christ's Joyful News of salvation. Rejected and insulted on the cross, Christ will appear at the end of history, that he is not only the Messiah for Israel, but the Savior of all nations. He will come as King over all rulers and at the same time as a good Shepherd to search for the lost and lost. Not all followed him. God's saving plan, however, will not be destroyed by human sins. Christ will come to judge all people living and dead. "For the father does not judge anyone, but handed all judgment to the Son " (J 5, 22). Then those, who chose Christ in their daily lives, they will inherit eternal joy and glory with their Savior. Whereas those, who rejected Christ in their daily lives, they will inherit eternal damnation, that is, separation from God, which they chose during their lifetime.
Who chooses Christ, and whoever rejects him ?
You have certainly noticed, that St.. Matthew, speaking of the judgment of Christ the Judge, gives only one test of belonging to or falling away from Christ. It is the love shown to Christ in people, in ordinary everyday circumstances, in human needs.
Ultimately, then, accountability to God comes down to realized or unrealized love, which Christ taught us and instilled in our hearts. The words of Christ's Gospel about universal responsibility for love are for me not only information about this, what will happen at the end of history.
It is a call, which Christ is now addressing to me. He's calling me, that I should take a firm stand for Him now. The Last Judgment began at some point with Christ's first coming to earth. People are for or against Him.
And I am faced with a choice every day. I must always take a specific position towards Christ and His Gospel. His second coming to earth will reveal it, what I have been choosing all my life.
How will I answer God ?
I am slowly becoming a mature person. I am about to enter the full adult life. I will be faced with a choice every day : for or against Christ. Responsibility for my actions never ends. Christ's coming in glory will reveal this, what I have been choosing all my life.
So my final fate depends on my whole life, guided with a sense of responsibility. Nobody can replace or supplement me in this. How I will answer God throughout my life ? The last page of this catechism opens up my whole life as collaboration with Christ. What will I do ?
■ Remember :
59. “I believe in Jesus Christ, who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end ".
60. "All, what you did to one of the least of these my brothers, You did to me ".