MARY, OUR MOTHER

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #467

"Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.' Then shall the just answer him, saying: 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee: thirsty and gave thee drink? Or when did we see thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison and came to thee?' And the king answering shall say to them: 'Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.'
Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: 'Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger and you took me not in: naked and you covered me not: sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also shall answer him, saying: 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to thee?' Then he shall answer them, saying: 'Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.' And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting." (Matt. 25:34-46)

THE LAW by which men will be judged is that first commandment of Christ, the law of love, which contains in itself all other commandments. He who for the love of our Lord has, according to his ability, done good to his fellow-men, and practiced a real love of his neighbor springing from his love for God, will be rewarded for what he has done, just as if he had done it to our Lord Himself. But he who has either performed no works of charity, or has not performed them for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, will stand condemned, because such an one has neither true love nor living faith. We shall therefore be judged not only for the evil which we have done, but also for the good which we have omitted to do.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)