Time Flies; Spend it Wisely
All Souls' Day
Romans 6:3-9; Psalm 24; Matthew 25:31-46
There is a popular saying: “he who dies with the most toys wins”. But is it the right approach to life? On this special day when we remember all departed brothers and sisters it is worth to pause and think about life and its meaning through a short reflection on the famous parable of the last judgment. This parable is so familiar to us that we often fail to realise its powerful message. The king does not ask about our achievements or success. He does not ask about our religious affiliation and preferences. He divides us into two groups: the selfish and the selfless.
Selfishness is a lack of consideration for other people. The most important person in the world is “I”. I want this, I need that, I cannot live without it. This attitude is also found among groups and nations. The world is often divided between them and us. The spirit of selfishness blinds us to the needs of others and makes us compete or even fight with each other. Sharing is the opposite of selfishness. Sharing takes into consideration the needs of others. I look around and try to see what it is that you want, you need, you cannot live without. Sharing helps us to moves from “I” to “you”.
The parable of the last judgment offers us few simple lessons on sharing. The first question would be: what to share? We are not required to empty our banks accounts. Giving a hungry man a meal, or a thirsty man a drink, welcoming a stranger, cheering the sick, visiting the prisoner does not require much and anybody among us can do it. Thus, sharing is not confined to money; we have time and talent, words and ideas that we can share and it can make a profound difference in the lives of others.
The second question would be: with whom to share? And here comes a surprise. The people presented in the parable did not do it for Christ or because they want to make it to heaven. They were not aware that they were helping Jesus who identifies himself with those in needs. They did it as a matter of fact. It was a natural reaction, something they took for granted. On the other hand, the other group makes an excuse telling that if only they knew that the person in need was Christ himself they would surely help.
But there is still one point of the parable to consider: Jesus identifies himself with the least. It always amazes the huge difference between Jesus and most of us. We want to be rich, he became poor. We want to be like gods, he became a man like us. We want to be the first and seen among the first, Jesus became the last and lived among the least. The world would definitively be a better place if we imitated Jesus and not the powerful and the rich.
Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier and a Christian. A legend says that on one cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked for alms. Martin had no money; but the beggar was blue and shivering with cold, and Martin gave what he had. He took off his soldier's coat; he cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar. That night he had a dream. He saw all the angels and Jesus in the midst of them wearing half of a Roman soldier's cloak. One of the angels said to him, "Master, why are you wearing that old cloak?" And Jesus answered, "My servant Martin gave it to me."
What does a greedy and selfish person win? Well, according to the parable the answer is . . . judgement. Paul writes: “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10) and this judgment is severe for those who, during their lifetime, have not learned how to share. “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). Life is short and time flies. Let us use it wisely, not trying to collect more toys, but opening our hearts to the needs of others.