Monday, February 23, 2026
Lev 19:1-2, 11-18; Mt 25: 31-46
Today’s Gospel highlights the corporate nature of Christian identity.
The Parable of the Last Judgement (The Sheep and the Goats) helps us understand that at the time of judgement, all the nations – Christians in communities – and not individuals, will be assembled before Christ.
A gathering of people in groups of nations already gives us an idea of the corporate nature of the Christian identity. When we are baptized, we are baptized into Christ, into his Body, which signifies the one body of the entire believing community. Hence, a life that forgets this corporate dimension and is lived as if our needy neighobrs never existed is punished by the Lord. Those on the right enter the Kingdom for being neighborly while those on the left are thrown into eternal punishment.
But that is not all. The Parable of the Last Judgement offers further insights.
1. The parable reminds us that those who belong to the Body of Christ must inherit the idea that ‘Each one of us is responsible for all of us.’ In the early Church, it was taught, ‘One Christian is no Christian.’ Being a Christian means being radically other-centric.
2. It reminds us that, at the end, we will be judged not by how well we lived but by how truly we loved. Christian love should embrace those who have been made ‘least’ in society – the downtrodden and marginalized – because they represent Christ in their dignity.
3. The parable reminds us that generosity not only enriches others but also makes God indebted to us. It works like seed planting, and we will benefit from the harvest. This is why St. Basil preached on the blessings received: ‘If you hoard them, you won’t have them; if you scatter them, you won’t lose them.’
4. It reminds us that we must amend our lives before it is too late. We must repent in such a way that we may not lose out on the joy of rejoicing in the Kingdom. Being in the company of saints means being like them in holiness.
Let us pray that we may realize our corporate identity as Christians by finding Christ in the least.
Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar
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“Corporate nature of salivation gives me an assurance: as the Church has been always for “others”, especially, for the neglected and the needy, from that corporate charity, I will also benefit for my own salvation!