When the Son of Man shall come in His majesty, etc. (Matthew 25:31).
Some say that in this chapter three parables are contained, of which this is the third, which they assert pertains to those living the active life. But what is said here is not a parable, for nothing else is signified through a likeness; rather, the Savior most clearly foretells the judgment itself, concerning which in the two preceding parables He spoke obscurely and figuratively.
Indeed, even if it were a parable, it would not concern only those in the active life, for here the matter concerns all nations, and their separation, examination, judgment, and reward, as is clear to those who consider the text. Therefore, since He previously foretold many things about the judgment obscurely and mystically, now He describes it and its process openly.
“When the Son of Man shall come” — by local motion and bodily descent from heaven — for according to His divinity He is immense and immovable — “in His majesty,” that is, in His great power and in His glorified body — “and all the holy angels” of the nine orders with Him, who in His first coming came in humility with few and poor disciples (Matthew 25:31).
The holy angels will come with Him and will then appear visibly to all: first, for the reverence of the Judge; second, for the terror of the wicked; third, for the accusation of those who would not consent to angelic promptings; fourth, that they may execute the sentence of the Judge upon the reprobate.
Some say that by the ministry of the good angels the elect will be led to heaven, but the reprobate dragged by evil angels into hell. But I think it truer that the elect will ascend by their own power through the gift of agility — “and shall run like sparks among the reeds” (Wisdom 3:7) — and that the holy angels will cast both demons and the damned into hell. For the devils will enter hell as unwillingly as wicked men. Therefore above the Savior said: “The angels shall go out and separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire” (Matthew 13:49–50).
“Then He shall sit upon the seat of His majesty,” that is, He will sit in His judicial authority; or “upon the seat of His majesty,” that is, upon the Church in which is the seat of God.
“And all nations shall be gathered before Him,” that is, they will be brought before Him by the angels — nations of every time, rank, condition, age, and state — “and He shall separate them one from another” in place, in will, and in reward, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32), placing them in different folds at evening. For during the day they feed together, but in the evening they are separated. Thus during the day and time of grace the elect and the reprobate dwell and are fed together in the Church, but at the end of this age — that is, at the consummation of the world — they will be separated and divided.
“And He shall set,” that is, firmly place, the Son of Man — not by human but by divine power — “the sheep,” that is, the elect, who are compared to sheep because of innocence, simplicity, usefulness, and fruitfulness of good works — according to “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 79:13 [Vulgate 78:13]) and “I am the good shepherd and I know My sheep” (John 10:11,14) and “Behold, I myself will feed my sheep” (Ezekiel 34:15).
“At His right hand,” either literally at His right as in the more honorable place, or “at the right,” that is, in His good and pleasant blessings, in consolation and goodness, so that the fire of conflagration shall not harm them (cf. Psalm 99:3).
“But the goats,” that is, the reprobate, He will set at the left, that is, in the opposite place, in adversity and sorrow, in desolation and in the burning of the aforesaid fire. They are signified by goats because the goat is wanton, lustful, unfruitful, always fervent for mating (Matthew 25:33).
“Then the King shall say,” namely Christ, who has written upon His garment and upon His thigh, “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), of whom Jeremiah testified, “A king shall reign and shall be wise and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” (Jeremiah 23:5), and the Psalmist, “Give Thy judgment to the king” (Psalm 72:2), to those who are at His right, “who shall stand in great constancy against those who afflicted them” (Wisdom 5:1):
“Come, blessed of My Father,” that is, sanctified and filled with graces by My Father, eternal God; “possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” that is, heaven — the empyrean and its delights — created at the beginning of the world and fitted for the dwelling of the elect (Matthew 25:34).
Nor does it contradict that the Lord says, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2), for the heavenly homeland was prepared for the saints before the foundation of the world according to predestination, from the beginning of the world by creation, and in Christ’s Passion and Ascension as regards the merit of entering and the opening of the gate.
“For I was hungry and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me to drink” (Matthew 25:35). Here He sets forth the six works of mercy, to which a seventh is usually added, namely burial of the dead.
“A stranger I was and you took Me in,” as it is written: “Bring the needy and the homeless into your house” (Isaiah 58:7). And Job says: “The stranger did not remain outside; my door was open to the traveler” (Job 31:32). Hence Paul exhorts: “Do not neglect hospitality, for by this some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2; cf. Genesis 18 — Abraham and Lot).
“Naked and you clothed Me,” as John the Baptist teaches: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none” (Luke 3:11).
“I was sick and you visited Me,” giving consolation and help, as it is written: “Do not hesitate to visit the sick; for by these things you will be confirmed in love” (Sirach 7:35 Vulgate), and James: “Religion pure and undefiled before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).
“I was in prison and you came to Me,” to feed, console, or free, for it is written: “Deliver those who are being led to death” (Proverbs 24:11).
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry…?” (Matthew 25:37–39). This question does not arise from doubt but from piety and admiration at the Judge’s condescension and from a desire to hear the joyful answer. Their conscience will testify that the Judge’s words are true, and they will know that Christ counts as done to Himself what is done to His members — and for this reason they did these things.
“And the King answering will say: Amen I say to you, as long as — that is, whenever or however much — you did it to one of these least of My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). For these are My mystical body and My flesh, and I hold as done to Me the good done to them, provided it is done from charity and for My sake.
Because He says “to one of the least of these My brethren,” Jerome seems to say that Christ is fed, clothed, and otherwise served only in the poor in spirit who belong to His flock. Yet although Christ is especially in them and professes that works done to them are done to Him, nevertheless it is meritorious to do good to any poor person for God’s sake, since they are capable of the Holy Trinity and marked with the image of grace and glory.
“Then He shall say to those on His left: Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41). By the fire of hell are understood the other punishments of Gehenna, of which the Psalmist says: “He shall rain snares upon sinners; fire and brimstone and storms of winds shall be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 11:6 [Vulgate 10:7]). This fire was prepared for the devil, the first apostate, and his angels, of whom it is written: “The dragon fought and his angels” (Revelation 12:7), and the Apostle says: “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3).
According to some, this fire was made at the beginning of the world together with the empyrean heaven and prepared for the evil angels; they say hell was created together with heaven. Hence in Isaiah: “Topheth is prepared from yesterday… its pile is fire and much wood” (Isaiah 30:33).
“For I was hungry and you did not give Me to eat…” (Matthew 25:42). They are condemned because they did not perform works of mercy, for “judgment without mercy will be shown to him who has not shown mercy” (James 2:13).
Then they also will answer, desiring to excuse themselves: “Lord, when did we see You… and did not minister to You?” (Matthew 25:44). Then He will answer: “As long as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to Me” (Matthew 25:45). What they denied and withheld from them, they denied and withheld from Me.
Whether this judgment will occur vocally or only mentally is not certain. Although some presume to answer boldly, rashly defining what may be safely unknown, many great authorities judge it more probable that the sentence will be pronounced vocally.
Concerning this judgment it is clearly foretold in Daniel: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to reproach” (Daniel 12:2). Therefore it is added: “And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting” (Matthew 25:46).
This passage of the holy Gospel needs exhortation more than exposition. Let us therefore consider and weigh in our hearts the rigor, horror, and unbearable severity of the future judgment; the sweetness of those words, “Come, blessed of My Father,” and the joys of the elect; likewise the bitterness of that sentence, “Depart, you cursed, into everlasting fire,” and the vehemence of the punishments of hell, the everlasting calamity, despair, and incomprehensible desolation of the reprobate; also how dreadful and grievous it will be to be joined eternally to demons and to be handed over to eternal oblivion.
One may ask why Christ says that at the future judgment the dispute is chiefly about works of mercy rather than charity or justice, although every sin will be examined there, and not all the elect have performed works of mercy — as is clear in the case of many poor and religious, especially cloistered persons and hermits.
It must be said: first, because works of mercy are most connatural to man, for nothing is more natural than to do good to one who shares our nature. Second, because works of mercy directly and clearly include charity, the queen of virtues. Third, that it may appear how justly mercy is denied then to the reprobate who now do not show mercy to their neighbor. Fourth, that men may be stirred by these words of Christ to works of piety. Fifth, because Scripture most especially and abundantly exhorts, praises, and blesses works of mercy: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7), and “Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor” (Psalm 41:1 [Vulgate 40:2]). Sixth, to indicate that all our salvation and grace and whatever good is in us proceeds from, depends upon, and is perfected by the mercy of God. Finally, through the corporal works of mercy are signified the spiritual works of mercy, which are considered more excellent and more meritorious.
CONTINUE
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