Serving the Poor – Dilemmas

Last weekend we heard the parable of the final judgment.  It is based on our care for the hungry, the stranger, the imprisoned, etc.  Jesus concludes: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least ones, you did for me.” (Mt. 25:40)

Dilemma 1. Did you notice the following wording? “When the Son of Man comes in His glory…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…” Does that mean we will be judged as a nation?  That makes me a little nervous.  How about you? 

Dilemma 2. I get the part about caring for the poor and the marginalized.  But Jesus doesn’t distinguish…like I tend to do…between the ‘deserving poor’ and the ‘undeserving poor’. The poor are simply the poor.  What do you think about that?    

Think of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Her helpers brought dying people to her centers every day.  They were bathed, given clean clothing, food and shelter until they died. No questions. She simply understood that all of them deserved to be cared for.