A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew 25: 31-26
Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Son of Man comes again in great glory, all the angels will be with him. He will sit on his royal throne. All the people of the world will come in front of him, and he will separate the people in two groups, as a shepherd that separates the sheep from goats. The Son of Man, now King, will put the sheep (good people) on his right and the goats (bad people) on his left.
The king will say to those people on the right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you. Come and receive the kingdom that God had promised at the beginning of the world. Because 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 without clothes and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.’ The good people will answer, ‘Lord you said you were hungry and we gave you food, when did we give you food? You said you were thirsty and we gave you drink, when did we give you drink? You said you were a stranger and we welcomed you, when did we welcome you?
You said you were naked without clothes and we gave you clothes; when did we give you clothes? You said you were sick or in prison and we came to visit you, when did we come to visit you?’ The King will answer, ‘I tell you anything you did to help the poorest of my people, you did the same to me.’
Then the king will say to those people in the left, ‘Go away you wicked people. Go into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels, the fire that will never stop burning. Because I was hungry you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you never welcomed me. I was naked without clothes and you never gave me anything to wear. I was sick and you never came to visit me.’ Then they will say, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you a stranger or naked without clothes? When did we see you sick or in prison? When did we see you and came to help you?’ The king will answer,’ I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the poorest of my people, you also refused to help me.’ Then those people will go away to eternal punishment, and the good people will receive eternal life.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
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