Bribing Witnesses For The Last Judgment
2023년 11월 26일Bribing Witnesses For The Last Judgment
< Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe >
Seoul and New York City had a lot in common back in the 1970s: each had around 8 million people, heavy traffic, air pollution, and beggars on most street corners. There was one boy begging for alms on the overpass (육교) in front of the Peace Office in Seoul whom I saw regularly whenever I went there for a meeting. I never hesitated to give him a few hundred weon. My companions questioned me: “Why are you doing that?” they’d say. “Don’t you know they must turn over any money they get to the head beggar, who assigns them to different spots around the city?” So I stopped giving money. Instead I gave him a corn dog on a stick (핫도그). This really baffled my coworkers. I tried to explain to them, I wasn’t just helping a beggar boy as much as I was bribing a witness on my behalf for the Last Judgment. They gave me funny looks. Today’s reading from the gospel of Matthew dramatically describes what will happen at the end of the world, when Christ returns to separate “the sheep from the goats.”
But here’s an interesting point: both the blessed and the cursed ask the very same question: “Lord, when did we see you?” Each group acknowledges Christ as Lord, so clearly just recognizing Jesus as Lord is not enough. What’s the use of saying “Jesus is Lord” if we don’t listen to him and do what he commands? Another interesting point: notice the standard by which people are blessed with heaven or condemned to hell. Not what religion we belong to. Not what prayers we say. Not even by going to daily Mass. But rather we, that is the whole human race, will be judged according to how we treated others. Not treating them badly, but rather failing to treat them at all. Ignoring the suffering of our brothers and sisters, failing to help them or comfort them, will decide how we will spend eternity. Somewhere on an overpass in Seoul, a beggar asks for a handout. Somewhere in New York City, a hungry person asks for food. One final observation: The righteous people in today’s gospel were not aware it was Christ they were helping. They performed acts of love naturally, out of pure habit and not just to be rewarded. Let us strive to cultivate this habit every day of our lives. The Last Judgment is closer than we realize.