Reign of Christ

November 22, 2020

Art by Jenseron Dinai

A Brief Meditation

by Walt Wangerin, Jr.

Matthew 25:31-46

25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,

25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

25:34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

25:35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?

25:38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?

25:39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'

25:40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

25:41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;

25:42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

25:43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

25:44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?'

25:45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'

25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

[*Definition of a word before I share with you Wangerin’s reflection:  ‘Lamed Vavnik’ is a notion rooted in the more mystical dimensions of Judaism.  It refers to humble serving people who are unaware of their own righteousness who indeed keep the world on the trajectory of compassion.]

Servants of the Cross

For the sake of ten [some say 36] righteous people, God does not destroy the world.  

These are the *Lamed Vavnik.  

They live scattered in any nation, are members of any class, of any profession which may be imagined; and they are invisible to the world.  Lo, not even they know the significance of their lives.  

Such ignorance is their righteousness.  

They merely live, they suppose, as other people live.  

But Heaven knows the difference. 

And this is the mercy of God: that when one Lamed Vavnik dies, God raises up another.

I heard this from a friend.  He said it was an old Hasidic legend.

I believe it.

[Source:  Ragman and Other Cries of Faith by Walt Wangerin, Jr.]