The Sheep and the Goats
No fixed feast day in the calendar
Flip the card and scan the QR code on the back to open it in the app
When Jesus comes in glory, he will judge each person by the love they showed to others
What is this teaching?
This is what Jesus taught about the day he will return in glory to judge all people (cf. Mt 25:31-46). He uses the familiar picture of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. Here, the King who judges is Jesus himself, the Son of Man, so the card shows him seated on the throne. The Church reads this Gospel passage on the feast of Christ the King in Year A.
The story
Jesus said: “all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Mt 25:32). The sheep stand on his right, the goats on his left (cf. Mt 25:33).
The King says to those on his right: come, inherit the Kingdom, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me (cf. Mt 25:34-36). They are surprised and ask when they ever saw the Lord like that. The King answers: whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me (cf. Mt 25:37-40).
To those on his left, the King says the opposite: they did nothing for those little ones, so they did nothing for him. They will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (cf. Mt 25:41-46).
What does Jesus want to teach you?
Jesus is present in people who are poor, hungry, sick and lonely. On that day, the Lord will not ask how rich or how clever you were, but how you loved. The people on the left are not accused of a single evil deed; they are judged because they ignored the hungry, the sick and the lonely. Ignoring them like that is a serious fault before God. The deeds listed in this Gospel passage are the foundation of the corporal works of mercy you learn in catechism. The judgment is a warning, but it is also an invitation: today you still have time to love.
A lesson for you
- Share food, clothes and school things with classmates who are poor.
- Visit and check on grandparents, the sick and elderly people living alone in your parish.
- Do not look away when you see a classmate being bullied or left out.
Identifying marks
- Jesus seated on a throne among white clouds, with a halo bearing a cross: the King who judges is Jesus himself, who died out of love for everyone.
- The white sheep on the Lord’s right (on the left of the card): those who gave food and drink to the least of his brothers and sisters, welcomed them and visited them.
- The Lord’s right hand open to welcome the sheep: the invitation into the Kingdom prepared for those who love.
- The dark goats standing apart on the Lord’s left, his left hand lowered: those who ignored people who were suffering; to ignore them is to separate yourself from God.
The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Compiled by i-Catholic · About