"When the Son of Man comes in HIS glory with all HIS angels, HE will sit on the throne of HIS glory. All the nations will be brought before HIM; and, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will HE do with them, placing the sheep on HIS right hand and the goats on HIS left.
The KING will say to those on HIS right, 'Come, blessed of MY FATHER! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed ME. I was thirsty, and you gave ME something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed ME into your home. I was naked, and you clothed ME. I was sick, and you visited ME. I was in prison, and you came to see ME.'
Then the righteous will ask HIM, 'LORD, when did we see YOU hungry, and give YOU food; thirsty, and give YOU something to drink; or a stranger, and welcome YOU; or naked, and clothe YOU? When did we see YOU sick, or in prison, and go to see YOU?' The king will answer, 'Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of MINE, you did it to ME.'
The HE will say to those on HIS left, 'Go, cursed people, out of MY sight, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give ME anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave ME nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome ME into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe ME; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit ME.'
They, too, will ask, 'LORD, when did we see YOU hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and di not help YOU? The king will answer them, 'Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it for ME.'
And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, to eternal life.' " - Matthew 25:31-46
(We know that Christians are a minority in the world. As we do now, the Jews wondered about the majority of nations in the world, who were not among the Chosen People and did not know about GOD or HIS promises. The Jews envisioned a huge multitude, ready to "devour them," a restless world where GOD should one day impose HIS law. They used to call them the nations.
JESUS goes beyond these narrow perspectives and shows us how HE will judge everyone, making no distinctions based on origins when HE comes as KING of all nations. All those who, without knowing CHRIST, have shared in the common destiny of humankind, will be judged by HIM. In fact, HE never abandoned them, but placed at their side "those little ones who are HIS brothers and sisters," as HIS representatives.
See, CHRIST reveals the innumerable human deeds that have built what is best in our civilization, and people brought before HIM look with amazement at the GOD whom they loved or despised in the person of their neighbor. Although the majority of them never thought of the afterlife, the kingdom of GOD is presented to them with its only law: Love.
There is no neutral place. The fire means the torment of those who condemned themselves by closing and freezing their hearts so that they became incapable of love: now the splendor of GOD, who is love, burns and pains them.
Whenever you did this to one of these little ones, my brothers and sisters. JESUS speaks of looking after our neighbor, be he friend or foe, not of serving the community, or a class, or a nation in general, because using these words, we often exclude a group of our brothers and sisters, who do not belong to our nation or to our class. On the other hand, one who really loves, acknowledges his sisters and brothers without giving to much importance to any labels: it is the person who exists and lives for GOD.)
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