The Distressing Disguise of Christ the King

As we come to the end of another liturgical year and conclude our weekly meditation on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Church gives us Jesus's parable on the Last Judgment. Jesus brings to the fore the mandate that we have as his followers to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, etc. But the radically of today's Gospel message lies in the fact that Jesus himself so identifies himself with his beloved poor that he unites himself with them, such that he can say, "Whatever you did (or did not do) for these least ones, you did (or did not do) for me." Imbibing this truth, Mother Teresa would tell her sisters that when they went out to serve the poorest of the poor, they were encountering their Lord "in his distressing disguise." Our conviction that Jesus makes himself truly present at the Mass leads us to seek him there. But when Mass is finished, we must continue to seek him out where we know him to be -- in his poor -- by performing the corporal works of mercy. According to Jesus, our salvation depends on it!