Dear Friends:

Every time we profess our Faith by reciting the Creed, we profess our belief that Christ “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” 

One day we saw the Lord Jesus ascend to the Father covered by the clouds (the Ascension of the Lord) and, one day, “[He] will come in the same way that [we] saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11.) Yes, he comes… to judge.

 

There are several Gospel passages that anticipate for us what this day of Judgement will look like. One that is very striking is found in Matthew 20: 31-46. There, the author begins by introducing the scene with the following preamble:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (vv. 31-32.)

 

The end result of the judgement? The sheep will inherit the kingdom “prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world” (see v.34,) while the goats are sent to the “eternal fire” (see v. 41.) And, what was the premise upon which such determinations were made? The judge will save some and condemn others based on what they did to others, especially to the least among them for, that way, they did it to him as well: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did to one of these least brothers of mine, you did to me” (see v. 40.)

The day of our Baptism, we all became sons and daughters of the Father and brothers and sisters amongst ourselves and with the Son, Jesus Christ, who is the judge.  Then, a question I invite all of us to ask this day is, what am I doing to my brother and my sister in Christ? How am I treating them? In the second reading for Mass this Sunday, the apostle James alerts us of “distinctions [being made] among yourselves” and the potential for us to become “judges with evil designs” (James 2:4.) The only judge is the Lord, the one who is coming!

The Lord who judges has a special care for the poor, the frightened and those who are placed in situations of disadvantage and vulnerability. To these, judgement is good news, as the prophet Isaiah proclaims in the first reading for this Sunday, “Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you” (Isaiah 35:4.)

This Sunday, I invite us to renew our faith, especially our faith in the judgement that is to come. Whenever I see someone treating another person poorly or hear another person speaking poorly of someone else I honestly think to myself, does this person know about the judgement of the Lord that is to come? I also use the image of the judgement especially as depicted in Matthew 20: 31-46 to examine my own conscience and to beg the Lord for forgiveness for the times I have failed to love him and also the times that I have failed my brother and sister in Christ as I ought.

May our prayer for ourselves be that of the Church when she prays for a brother or sister who has passed at the Funeral Mass: “We beseech your mercy, O Lord, that [we] who did not doubt your Son to be a loving savior may find in him a merciful judge.”  May the Lord give us his help to love him with all of our hearts, minds and souls and to love one another as he has loved us. 

(cf. Matthew 22: 37; 39.)

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Grief Support Group
First Thursday of the Month
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25th Anniversary Albrecht Free Clinic Coin Drive
Collect coins during the month of September and drop off at any Washington County WestBury Bank location.  
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Memorial Service for Aborted Children at Holy Cross Cemetery, Milwaukee
Event: National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children 

When: Saturday, September 18, 11:00 AM
Where: Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee
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