Who Gets Into Heaven? Words from St. Matthew on his feast day.

The Gospel of Matthew took me by surprise. I thought I knew what was in it. I thought I was heavenbound for sure.

Perhaps I overlooked the passages in Matthew because I didn't think our works had any merit. I didn't think they could get us to heaven. We were saved by faith alone. Sola Fide. That one teaching from the Protestant Reformation became a pair of spiritual glasses for me. I wore them, and when I read passages like the one in Matthew, I didn't see anything important. I simply kept on reading, until I came to passages about faith and belief and mercy and the free gift of grace.

I didn't realize that it all matters. The Book of James matters - where we read that faith without works is dead - that one is justified by works.

I didn't realize that the deeds of the Saints follow them into heavenly places, as it says in the Book of Revelations.

I didn't realize that we are saved by grace. Not sola fide.

By Grace.

And Grace leads us to have faith and to do good works in Christ Jesus. And our salvation depends on both.

I spent my first 40 years oblivious (for the most part) to the plight of others. I was totally oblivious to the poor and needy in other countries. But I was also somewhat oblivious to the needs of those in this country.

Social justice was not a big part of my faith heritage. I didn't even know what those two words meant.

What is social justice? How can I know what Jesus requires of me?

The answer is found in the Gospel of Matthew. And the great irony is that Matthew was the one to tell us this teaching - Matthew, the one who was a great offender against social justice. A tax collector. A sinner against his own people. All for love of money. Until Jesus said, "Come."

Matthew 25:31-46

The Final Judgment

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Who Gets Into Heaven? Words from St. Matthew on his feast day.