Today, we turn to another Gospel passage Pope Francis offers as a guide to holiness. He terms it The Great Criterion. These reflections will take us through to paragraph 109. Two weeks ahead, so let’s begin:
95. In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel (vv. 31-46), Jesus expands on the Beatitude that calls the merciful blessed. If we seek the holiness pleasing to God’s eyes, this text offers us one clear criterion on which we will be judged. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (vv. 35-36).
Many Christians focus on orthodoxy (sometimes as they define it) to guide them into the realm of the blessed. The final third of Matthew 25 offers not only clear guidance on what to do, but it points out where to find a real presence of the Lord in no less dogmatic terms than the Last Supper narratives.
You can check the full document Gaudete et Exsultate on the Vatican website.
Catholic Sensibility 