A number of years ago, a flood carried away one of the bridges over the Brown River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. A salesman, taken unaware, was able to halt his car only on the last few feet of pavement that remained. In a state of shock, he got out of his car and stood a few moments transfixed by the boiling flood he had so narrowly escaped. Approaching headlights warned him of the danger to others, and he frantically tried to halt the drivers as several cars, one after another, ignored his desperate signals and plunged to destruction. A total of eight persons lost their lives before he could turn his car and blockade the road. Now was that salesman to be blamed for the death of those motorists who ignored his warnings and plunged into the river? No! And in exactly the same way, God cannot be blamed for the eternal punishment men shall certainly incur who ignore the divine warnings, reject the Saviour’s sacrifice, and plunge headlong into eternal death.
THE FINAL JUDGMENT
In today’s gospel, Jesus talked about his second coming and the last judgement . Here we see the designation of all mankind under two figures, the sheep and the goats, is in keeping with the dual classification stressed throughout the Scriptures, such as the “wheat” and the “chaff,” the “wise” and the “foolish,” ,the”right” and the left’ etc.
Therefore we must put our loving relationship with Jesus into serious consideration to focus our face on Jesus just like a well trained dog that obeys his master (…even if the food is there it gazes and looks at its master face in order to avoid looking at the temptation).
WHATSOEVER YOU DO TO THE POOR…YOU DO IT TO ME!
Let us therefore refocus our affections and reaffirm our faith in our loving relationship with Christ our Savior by loving our neighbor and assisting in the works of charity. The Lord’s words must therefore be viewed in such a light, that we should follow and obey him always till the end and then men will avoid the temptation to “humanize” the gospel. The works of mercy and charity are the things that will speak for us at the final hour and tell where we shall finally be forever. There are dark and terrible realities confronting the race of Adam, and no blind and prejudiced rejection of the divine Saviour’s admonitions will remove them. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!”
Peace.
Fr Osho
