The Word God Spells

Matthew 25: 31-46
Lv 19:1-2.11-18 / Ps 19

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.
(Matthew 25:40)

Take care that you are not deceived:
It’s not enough that we believe. . .
The measure that we will receive
From God depends on how we give.

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 then He will separate men from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you. . . For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. . . Then He will say to those on His left, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . and those who are thrown into eternal fire will ask: “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not minister to Your needs?” Then our Lord will answer, “I tell you, what you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life (Mt. 25:44-46).

Reflection

What sets apart “born again” Christians from Catholics is their belief that good works are not necessary for one’s salvation. According to them, by faith alone, we are already saved. They like to cite St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, (ch. 3, v.26): “ …God justifies everyone who believes in Jesus”, and “… God credits his righteousness apart from good works.” (Rom.4:6) So, you don’t have to struggle because you are already saved by faith alone. Just put your complete trust in the Lord, because He has already completed the work for your salvation. But if this is the case, why did St. Paul say in the same letter,“…now you must present yourselves as slaves of righteousness for your sanctification.”? (Rom.6:19) He also wrote to the Corinthians, “…each one of us will get what he deserves for the things he did, both good or evil.” (2Cor.5:10). In fact, if this apostle to the gentiles really believed that faith in God was sufficient for our passage to heaven, why did he have to sacrifice so much to the point of torture and near-death several times, to “please his Saviour”?

St. James was quite explicit when he wrote that faith without good works is useless. (James 2:20). “A body dies when it is separated from the spirit, and in the same way faith is dead if it is separated from good works.” (James 2:26)

The kind of faith that “born-again” Christians are espousing is one that borders on presumption. They are being deceived into believing that God will erase all our sins because His Son had already paid for them on the cross. The evil one lulls them into complacency and unrepentance, (“no need for confession”). Our Lord never said faith in Him alone guarantees our salvation. He warned us that in the final judgment, “the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father. . . and will reward everyone according to His conduct.” (Mt.16:27).

May all Your commands and decrees live in our hearts, to guide us and keep us from sin, to spread goodwill to all men, to help us become Your worthy stewards. Amen.