Everybody is recompensed according to one’s conduct

November 2, 2015

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) 

Readings

Book of Wisdom 3:1-9

1But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.[1] 2They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction 3and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.[2]

4For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality;

5Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.

6As gold in the furnace, He proved them, and as sacrificial offerings He took them to Himself. 7In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;[3][4] 8They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever.

9Those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with Him in love: Because grace and mercy are with His holy ones, and His care is with the elect. 

Psalms 27:1, 4. 7-9, 13-14

1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?

7Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. 8“Come,” says my heart, “seek His face”;* your face, LORD, do I seek! 9Do not hide your face from Me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my salvation; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior!

13I believe I shall see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living. 14Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

Letter to the Romans 6:3-9

3Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were indeed buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

5For if we have grown into union with Him through a death like His, we shall also be united with Him in the resurrection.

6We know that our old self was crucified with Him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. 7For a dead person has been absolved from sin.

8If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. 9 We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over Him. 

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:31-46

31"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, 32 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.

33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. 34Then the king will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, a stranger and you welcomed Me, 36naked and you clothed Me, ill and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me.'

37Then the righteous will answer Him and say, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?[6]

38When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You?

39When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' 

40And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'

41Then he will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.[7]

42For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, 43a stranger and you gave Me no welcome, naked and you gave Me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for Me.'

44Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to Your needs?'[8]

45He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for Me.' 46And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

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Notes on Readings

[1] Book of Wisdom 3:1-8 - Verses frequently applied to the martyrs.

[2] One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’s beauty, to visit his temple.

[3] Book of Wisdom 3:6 - Offerings: the image is that of the holocaust, in which the victim is completely consumed by fire. 

[4] Book of Wisdom 3:7 - Visitation: God's loving judgment of those who have been faithful to Him; the same word is used in Wisdom 14:11 for the punishment of the wicked at God's final judgment. Compare also with Wisdom 3:13.

[5] Matthew 25:32 - All the nations: before the end the gospel will have been preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14); thus the Gentiles will be judged on their response to it. But the phrase all the nations includes the Jews also, for at the judgment "the Son of Man . . . will repay everyone according to his conduct" (Matthew 16:27)

[6] Matthew 25:31-46 - The conclusion of the discourse, which is peculiar to Matthew, portrays the final judgment that will accompany the parousia. Although often called a "parable," it is not really such, for the only parabolic elements are the depiction of the Son of Man as a shepherd and of the righteous and the wicked as sheep and goats respectively (Matthew 25:32-33) . The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for the least of Jesus' brothers (Matthew 25:40). A difficult and important question is the identification of these least brothers. Are they all people who have suffered hunger, thirst, etc. (Matthew 25:35, 36) or a particular group of such sufferers? Scholars are divided in their response and arguments can be made for either side. But leaving aside the problem of what the traditional material that Matthew edited may have meant, it seems that a stronger case can be made for the view that in the evangelist's sense the sufferers are Christians, probably Christian missionaries whose sufferings were brought upon them by their preaching of the gospel. The criterion of judgment for all the nations is their treatment of those who have borne to the world the message of Jesus, and this means ultimately their acceptance or rejection of Jesus himself; compare with Matthew 10:40, "Whoever receives you, receives me."

See the footnote on Matthew 16:27.

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[7] Matthew 25:37-40 - The righteous will be astonished that in caring for the needs of the sufferers they were ministering to the Lord himself. One of these least brothers of mine: compare with Matthew 10:42.

[8] Matthew 25:41 - Fire prepared . . . his angels: compare with 1 Enoch 10, 13 where it is said of the evil angels and Semyaza, their leader, "In those days they will lead them into the bottom of the fire - and in torment - in the prison (where) they will be locked up forever."

[9] Matthew 25:44-45 - The accursed (Matthew 25:41) will be likewise astonished that their neglect of the sufferers was neglect of the Lord and will receive from him a similar answer.