Activities in Preparation for This Week in the Liturgical Year

First Reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17
God himself will shepherd the people of Israel.

Psalm
Psalm 23:1-2,2-3,5-6
The Lord is our shepherd.

Second Reading
Corinthians 15:20-26,28
Because Christ has been raised from the dead, all those who have died will also be raised.

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus teaches that when the Son of Man comes in glory, he will judge the nations, separating the sheep from the goats.

Background on the Gospel
Today's Gospel passage is the conclusion of Jesus' discourse with his disciples. It is about the end of time, the coming of the Son of Man, and the final judgment. We hear this description of the final judgment at the conclusion of our liturgical year, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. In the context of Matthew's Gospel, this passage might also be read as a conclusion of Matthew's report on Jesus' life and ministry; the remaining chapters report the events of Jesus' Passion and Resurrection.

In today's Gospel, Jesus describes to his disciples the scene of the judgment of the Son of Man. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates sheep and goats upon their return from the pasture. The judgments made by the Son of Man will be based upon the acts of mercy shown to the least ones—the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the ill, and the imprisoned. Indeed, Jesus, who suffered on the Cross, identifies himself with the least ones.

Recall that last week's parable of the talents taught us that the gifts that we have been given are intended to be used for the service of others, especially the least among us. Our judgment before God will be based not only on how we have used these gifts and talents, but also on how we have extended ourselves in service to these least ones. Indeed, Jesus tells us that whenever we have served these least ones, we have served Christ himself.

When we read today's Gospel in the context of the chapters that follow in Matthew's Gospel, we learn the extent to which Jesus identifies with the least ones. In accepting death on the cross, Jesus shows himself to be one of the hungry, the naked, the ill, and the imprisoned. To accept Jesus is to accept him who suffered and died on the Cross as one of the least ones.

Making the Connection (Grades 1, 2, and 3)
Young children use simple logic to view the world: good actions ought to have good rewards; bad actions ought to be punished. However, this is not always the way of the world. We can reassure them that in God's plan all will be judged rightly in the end.

Materials Needed (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

• A picture of a crying child
• A picture of a smiling child
• A fork
• Two clear glasses
• Cooking oil
• Water

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings (Grades 1, 2, and 3)

1. Bring to class a picture of a crying child, a picture of a smiling child, a fork, and two clear glasses. Fill one glass with a small amount of cooking oil and the other glass with the same amount of water. Hold up both glasses for the class to see. Say: These two liquids look alike. By the looks of them, it is hard to tell if one tastes good and one tastes bad.
2. Say: Now look at these two pictures. Hold up the two pictures of the children. Can you tell if either of the children in the pictures has been misbehaving? (No. The crying child might be showing kindness by being sad that someone has been hurt, and the smiling child might be showing meanness because he or she is happy that someone else has gotten into trouble.)
3. Say: Sometimes people escape punishment for their bad behavior, and sometimes good actions are not rewarded. This doesn't seem fair to us. Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel that we don't have to worry about this because God will judge all behavior when Jesus returns. Let's listen to what Jesus says.
4. Read aloud today's Gospel, Matthew 25:31-46.
5. Say: In the Gospel this week, Jesus tells us that life may seem unfair at times; the consequences of good behavior and bad behavior get mixed up. Pour the oil into the water and stir with the fork. But Jesus says that we should not worry about this because someday he will return to separate the good from the bad. Allow the liquid to settle, so the oil will separate and rise to the top. Say: God can tell the difference between those who serve him and others and those who reject him by not caring for others. Those who follow him will live with him forever. Those who do not have chosen not to live with him. This will be a lonely choice for them. What do you think Jesus wants us to do? (He wants us to be doing good things for others, especially those who are hungry, ill, naked, or imprisoned.) Jesus says that when we do these things for anyone, we are doing them for him.
6. Conclude in prayer together, asking God to help us serve others. Pray together the Act of Love.

Making the Connection (Grades 4, 5, and 6)
Older children may be developing the habit of judging others, as evidenced by their identification with a particular group of friends and the formation of cliques. We can help counter this tendency by offering to them Jesus' criterion for judgment—our acts of mercy toward the least ones among us.

Materials Needed (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

• A number of pictures of ordinary people

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

1. Invite the group to consider some of the traits and characteristics they use to describe people. Make of list of these traits. Some possible traits might be good-looking, smart, funny, friendly, kind, and helpful.
2. Reviewing the list, say: Very often, we use these kinds of characteristics to describe, and even judge other people. Show the pictures to the group. Ask: How would you characterize each of these people? (With the exception of physical characteristics, it is nearly impossible to characterize these people based on the pictures alone.) Ask: What else might you need to know about these people in order to characterize them? (We might need to meet them, get to know them, know how they behave with other people, and so on.)
3. Say: Jesus knows us very well and will use this knowledge and understanding about us when he returns to judge all peoples. However, in today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us that his judgment of us will be based on one thing. Let's listen to see how Jesus will judge us.
4. Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud Matthew 25:31-46.
5. Ask: What characteristic will Jesus use to judge us? (He will judge us based on how we treat the least ones among us.) Jesus takes this one step further. He says that whenever we show mercy to one of the least ones among us, we show mercy to Jesus himself.
6. Ask: What does this mean about whom we might choose to befriend or about how we ought to act toward other people? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
7. Conclude in prayer together asking Jesus for the help needed to serve him through the people around us, especially the least ones among us. Pray together the Lord's Prayer.

Making the Connection (Grades 7 and 8)
Young people at this age are familiar with video games in which the quest is for power and domination. The feast of Christ the King teaches us that Jesus rules with a very different kind of power.

Materials Needed (Grades 7 and 8)

• None

Preparation for Sunday Scripture Readings (Grades 7 and 8)

1. Ask the young people to think of examples of TV shows that have judges on them. (such as Judge Judy or Judge Mathis)
2. Point out that in many of these shows, the judges are responsible for making decisions that ensure that people get what they deserve.
3. Say: In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus tells us a story about a king who passes final judgment on people.
4. Have a volunteer read aloud the Gospel, Matthew 25:31-46.
5. Ask: What does the king base his judgments on? (whether or not people fed him when he was hungry, clothed him when he was naked, and so on) How does the king respond when the people ask “When did we see you hungry? Naked?” (“[W]hatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”)
6. Say: This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Jesus tells us the story of the final judgment to show us what kind of a king he is. He is not a king interested in power and glory but in serving the needs of others. Since Jesus is our king and we are his loyal subjects, we strive to imitate him and to live according to his will.
7. Conclude by praying the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing that we pray for the coming of the kingdom and that we pray that we may do the will of Christ the King.