Matthew 25:31-46 “The Hells We Choose” Page 1

I shudder to think back to the time when The figurative language in today’s lesson the gym teacher told captains to pick teams. is about a moment of truth For good players, choosing teams was exciting. for all the nations of the world. For me, it was always an embarrassment. Like a shepherd sorting the flock, I was usually one of the last picks the King will put the sheep on the right for any sport that involved a ball. and the goats on the left. I grew up near-sighted All people who ever lived will spend eternity but didn’t get glasses until I was 14. in one status or the other: I developed no skill in catching, aiming, either in God’s presence (the sheep) or throwing a ball. or in separation from God (the goats). So I usually waited and waited to be picked. Eternal exile from God is one definition of hell. Sometimes I was saved by the class bell. By avoiding persons in distress, Other players were better than me. among other things, That’s just the way it was. Goats experience hell for eternity. By not learning to handle a ball, The sheep, in many cases, minister to people I chose my hell. in hells of human need. The Hells We Choose. , by setting his sights on , For some people, the picture of Jesus knowing that there will be resistance separating sheep from goats is a scary idea. and his own death there, chooses his hell. In the parable, there is no in-between. But that choice is necessary for salvation. We will be one or the other, for all eternity. Early in the according to Matthew, This picture doesn’t have to be scary. Jesus tells the befuddled disciples: In fact, I hope to convince you The Son of Man is going to come that the Last Judgment is actually something in the Father’s glory with his , you and I can look forward to, and then the Son will reward each person like the best Christmas present of all time. according to what she or he has done. We’re coming up on the Christmas season. We don’t know when this will happen, Some of you will not escape without attending but Christians have always believed or viewing a performance of Charles Dickens’ that Jesus Christ will come again, “A Christmas Carol.” to judge the living and the dead. The central figure is Ebenezer Scrooge. The church calls this event the Last Judgment. He is miserly, cheerless, It will mark the end of human rule of earth and proud of his self-reliance. and the full reign of the Kingdom of Heaven. That is the hell he chooses. We celebrate the Last Judgment on the In a nightmare, old Scrooge last Sunday of the Christian Year. is given a chance to see his own Goat-ness, That’s today. past, present, and future. We call it Christ the King Sunday. After the grand tour, Scrooge repents. And it gives us a chance to look back He awakens, overjoyed that it’s Christmas Day. on the where we have He makes amends. walked with Jesus for the last 12 months. And all live happily ever after. Matthew 25:31-46 “The Hells We Choose” Page 2

None of us is goat-like one day To presume that you are a sheep is neither. and sheep-like the next, as Scrooge. But there’s no point dwelling on the question, We are complex creatures, because in the end the real sheep are behavioral hybrids of goat and sheep. surprised: We must not peg ourselves one or the other, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry much less judge other people. and feed you, That’s Christ’s job. or thirsty and give you The Good News is that we can depend something to drink? on Christ to be merciful. When did we see you a stranger He felt the same tugs and pulls of life as us. and invite you in, Moreover, Christ lays out a heavenly path or needing clothes and clothe you? we can choose to follow our whole life long. When did we see you sick or in prison It’s a narrow path, to be sure. Jesus teaches: and go to visit you?’ “enter through the narrow gate, Jesus says to the Sheep, ‘I tell you the truth, for wide is the gate and broad is the road whatever you did for one of the least of these that leads to destruction, brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ and many enter through it. In other words, sheep don’t think But small is the gate and narrow the path they’ve done anything special. that leads to eternal life, They are humbly following the shepherd. and only a few find it.” Furthermore in the , Jesus says, Jesus says many things that help us understand Blessed are the merciful . exactly what he means by the narrow path Mercy is sympathy, compassion, and kindness. that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our lesson keeps repeating a litany of mercies: Most of them are in the Beatitudes, . . . you gave me something to eat, the first part of the first sermon Jesus preaches. . . . you gave me something to drink, Consider how the Beatitudes prepare us . . . you invited me in, for today’s parable of sheep and goats: . . . you clothed me, Blessed are the poor in spirit , . . . you looked after me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . you came to visit me.’ Blessed are those who mourn , When we show mercy in these ways, for they will be comforted. we serve Jesus himself. Blessed are the meek , Jesus identifies with the needy, the sick, and for they will inherit the earth. the ostracized throughout his public ministry. Blessed are those who hunger and Showing mercy emulates Jesus, thirst for righteousness, the good shepherd. for they will be filled. In short: Blessed are the merciful , sheep act with humility and compassion. for they will be shown mercy. Neither pride nor apathy are sheep-like qualities. Blessed are the pure in heart , What else does Jesus say about the things for they will see God. we should not do? So Jesus advises sheep to be modest and humble. Matthew 25:31-46 “The Hells We Choose” Page 3

One bad behavior is hurting other people Jesus is telling us that God wants us with our words, like when we’re angry. to pay special attention to people We may say hurtful things when we’re angry. who are less fortunate than we. Well before the parable of goats and sheep, Are there people in need in this congregation? Jesus has some strong words about anger: You bet. “You have heard that it was said There are people in need in this to the people of old, ‘You shall not kill’ and neighborhood. ‘Whoever kills will have to face judgment.’ Indeed, most of the world’s population But I say to you, Whoever stays angry with is hungry or thirsty, homeless or poorly dressed, a brother or sister will have to face judgment. sick or in prison. And whoever says to a brother or a sister, The number one reason is poverty. ‘You idiot,’ The great American campaigner against poverty will have to face the supreme court; was Dorothy Day, born in 1897. and whoever says, ‘You jerk!’ Day spent a lifetime advocating for the poor. will have to face the fire of hell.” One of her early memories Jesus wants us to be sorry for that was the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and ask for forgiveness. and her mother offering to help quake victims. That way, Jesus can show mercy to us She rejected organized religion in college and help us stay on the narrow path. because she didn't see very many Okay. Suppose I have been humble. “religious people” helping the poor. Suppose I have shown mercy. She first went to jail with a group of suffragists Suppose I have apologized when I hurt anyone. in 1917 who were demonstrating Does that make me a Sheep? Maybe not! at the White House Here’s a paraphrase in favor of giving women voting rights. of what Jesus says about goats: She became a Roman Catholic in 1928 . . . you gave me nothing to eat, after the birth of her daughter not so much as a scrap of food. within a common-law marriage. . . . you gave me nothing to drink, She became a single parent who not so much as a cup of water. supported herself as a free-lance journalist. . . . you did not clothe me, In the midst of the Depression, not even a hand-me-down sweater. she started a weekly newspaper, . . . you did not look after me, The Catholic Worker, with friend Peter Maurin. not even a text message or a Hallmark card. Issued 7 times a year, Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? circulation today stands at 80,000. One person after another passes by (The cover price is still a penny. an injured man on the road. A year's subscription is available for 25 cents.) They are good people. In the 1930s she opened her first But they see a need and do nothing. Settlement House for homeless immigrants. That’s what Jesus is talking about – Today over 200 Catholic Worker communities knowing that someone is in need operate in 32 states and 8 foreign countries. and doing nothing. Matthew 25:31-46 “The Hells We Choose” Page 4

One of them is Sister Peter Claver House in But faith in Jesus, North Philadelphia, a Catholic Worker faith in the forgiveness that only community the Son of God can bestow, extending hospitality to its neighbors provides the potential in the form of an after school program, to overcome our selfish, sinful natures. a food and clothing distribution program, Faith fills us to overflowing with love and a summer youth program. so that sharing God’s love is our only choice. True to Dorothy Day, Amen. Catholic Workers are committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and care for the exiled, hungry, and foresaken. Out of love borne of faith, Catholic Workers live and work among the poor.

CONCLUSION I said at the start that I hoped to convince you that the Last Judgment is good news, like Christmas. Well, here’s the main point: We can’t earn our way into heaven. The opportunity of heaven will be a surprise, a gift, an inheritance we didn’t expect. But we can earn our way into hell. Hell exists as certainly as Last Judgment awaits. Hell is a condition chosen by those who lay claim to God’s love as if it’s for them only. We can spend eternity in isolation from God. Or we can enter into the hell of peoples’ lives. Those are The Hells We Choose. Spend eternity in poverty of spirit, hunger for love, and alienation from God. Or identify with poverty, physical hunger, and personal alienation the way the Catholic Worker movement does. Mercy and humility do not come naturally to us, any more than throwing and catching a ball. We all make many goat-like decisions along the way.