The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine the situations where greed and self centered acts deny our brothers and sisters the love and support they need and further separate the privileged goats from the poor sheep.
The Reading from the Book of Leviticus prescribes Various Rules of Conduct.
* [19:2] Be holy, for I…am holy: in the writings commonly attributed to the Priestly collection, Israel is called to be holy through obeying God’s precepts (11:44–45; 20:7–8, 24–26; Nm 15:40–41). Cf. Dt 14:2, 21; 26:19; and Ex 19:6.
* [19:11–13] Cf. the Decalogue commandments against stealing (Ex 20:15; Dt 5:19), wrongly using God’s name (Ex 20:7; Dt 5:11), and swearing falsely against another (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20).
* [19:14] In Dt 27:18 a curse falls on the head of the one who misleads the blind.
* [19:17–18] These verses form a unit and describe different attitudes and actions towards one’s fellow Israelites. A separate passage is necessary to advise a similar attitude toward aliens (vv. 33–34). Cf. 25:39–46. The admonition at the end of v. 18 came to be viewed in Judaism and Christianity as one of the central commandments. (See Mt 22:34–40; Mk 12:28–34; Lk 10:25–28; cf. Mt 19:19; Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14). The New Testament urges love for enemies as well as neighbors (Mt 5:43–48; Lk 6:27–36; cf. Prv 25:21–22). (Leviticus, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
Psalm 19 proclaims the Creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew compares the sheep and goats at The Judgment of the Nations.
* [25:31–46] The conclusion of the discourse, which is peculiar to Matthew, portrays the final judgment that will accompany the parousia. Although often called a “parable,” it is not really such, for the only parabolic elements are the depiction of the Son of Man as a shepherd and of the righteous and the wicked as sheep and goats respectively (Mt 25:32–33). The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that have been done for the least of Jesus’ brothers (Mt 25:40). A difficult and important question is the identification of these least brothers. Are they all people who have suffered hunger, thirst, etc. (Mt 25:35, 36) or a particular group of such sufferers? Scholars are divided in their response and arguments can be made for either side. But leaving aside the problem of what the traditional material that Matthew edited may have meant, it seems that a stronger case can be made for the view that in the evangelist’s sense the sufferers are Christians, probably Christian missionaries whose sufferings were brought upon them by their preaching of the gospel. The criterion of judgment for all the nations is their treatment of those who have borne to the world the message of Jesus, and this means ultimately their acceptance or rejection of Jesus himself; cf. Mt 10:40, “Whoever receives you, receives me.” See note on Mt 16:27.
* [25:32] All the nations: before the end the gospel will have been preached throughout the world (Mt 24:14); thus the Gentiles will be judged on their response to it. But the phrase all the nations includes the Jews also, for at the judgment “the Son of Man…will repay everyone according to his conduct” (Mt 16:27).
* [25:37–40] The righteous will be astonished that in caring for the needs of the sufferers they were ministering to the Lord himself. One of these least brothers of mine: cf. Mt 10:42.
* [25:41] Fire prepared…his angels: cf. 1 Enoch 10:13 where it is said of the evil angels and Semyaza, their leader, “In those days they will lead them into the bottom of the fire—and in torment—in the prison (where) they will be locked up forever.”
* [25:44–45] The accursed (Mt 25:41) will be likewise astonished that their neglect of the sufferers was neglect of the Lord and will receive from him a similar answer. (Matthew, CHAPTER 25, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth is focusing on the exhortations of our Catholic bishops opposing violence and assaults on the human dignity of ALL people. She is especially haunted by Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s powerful video repeatedly asking, “How will you say no?” to such cruelty to the least of our brothers and sisters.
How am I saying no? How are YOU saying no?
‘Depart from me, you accursed, 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, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
As the crowd fell silent, some people walked out, asking how Jesus dared to address them like this. Didn’t he know how much money they had spent building complexes in his honor? And how could this be Jesus? He was supposed to be a white guy with long brown hair like the pictures in their complexes, not an olive-skinned man with an accent. Some began planning to turn their complexes into gated malls.
Not all of Jesus’ wealthy fans had abandoned him. Many contributed heavily to the collection for local homeless shelters. They joined the poor people in the bleachers in applauding enthusiastically when Jesus said:
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘ Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Gathering and Separating,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.
"And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." So then, people on earth are intermingled, and not only intermingled in that the righteous live side by side with the wicked, but they are also indistinguishable. Between the righteous and the wicked there is no apparent difference. Even as in wintertime you cannot tell the healthy trees apart from the withered trees but in beautiful springtime you can tell the difference, so too each person according to his faith and his works will be exposed. The wicked will not have any leaves or show any fruit, but the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul. The sheep signify righteous people by reason of their gentleness, because they harm no one, and by reason of their patience, because when they are harmed by others, they bear it without resistance. He refers to sinners as goats, however, because these vices characterize goats - capriciousness toward other animals, pride and belligerence." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 54, the Greek fathers). (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Leviticus was written by the Priestly authors. We hear the commandment given to Moses. This is one of 613 commandments in the Hebrew Testament to teach us how to walk in the ways of the Lord. Matthew 25 adds in an unexpected way a comparison of the generous vs the selfish. Jesus tells us to be compassionate and reach out and address the needs of others. Friar Jude comments on the appropriateness of the metaphor comparing the two grazing species. Sheep leave the roots of plants to permit regrowth but goats eat roots and all. Sheep don’t muddy the water in streams but goats muddy the water for animals downstream. Narcissistic goats are selfish and arrogant and think only of themselves.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 25:31-46 comments that the Church teaches that when Jesus took on human flesh, he “united himself in some fashion with every person” (Gaudium et Spes, 22). That means that somehow, Jesus is actually present in every single person. It means that everyone is his brother or sister—our brother or sister. And it means that the way we treat each person is the way we treat Jesus (Matthew 25:40).
Jesus wants us to know that our ordinary interactions and relationships—especially with our neighbors who are poor or suffering—provide us with opportunities to see, touch, and offer love to Jesus himself! As you obey Jesus’ command to love as he has loved you, you will encounter Christ himself in the very people you are seeking to care for.
So if you want to be ready to meet the Lord, love. Love your Lord and love your neighbor with the reverence and joy of a heart that finds its Beloved present in every person it meets.
“Jesus, open my eyes to see you and love you in all my neighbors.” (Meditation on Matthew 25:31-46, n.d.)
Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how Moses gradually learned to trust in God’s love. It is common for mystics, from Moses to Bonaventure, from Hildegard of Bingen to the Quaker Thomas Kelly, to describe the experience of God as fire, a furnace, or pure light. But during this early experience, “Moses covered his face, afraid to look back at God” (Exodus 3:6). He has to be slowly taught how to look at God. At first Moses continues to live like most of us, in his shame, insecurity, and doubt.
God gradually convinces Moses of God’s respect, which Moses calls “favor,” but not without some serious objections from Moses’s side: 1) “Who am I?” 2) “Who are you?” 3) “What if they do not believe me?” 4) “I stutter.” 5) “Why not send someone else?” In each case, God stays in the dialogue, answering Moses respectfully and even intimately, offering a promise of personal Presence and an ever-sustaining glimpse into who God is—Being Itself, Existence Itself, a nameless God beyond all names, a formless God previous to all forms, a liberator God who is utterly liberated. God asserts God’s ultimate freedom from human attempts to capture God in concepts and words by saying, “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be” (Exodus 3:14). Over the course of his story, we see that Moses slowly absorbs this same daring freedom.
But for Moses to learn foundational freedom in his true self, God has to assign Moses a specific task: create freedom for people who don’t want it very badly and freedom from an oppressor who thinks he is totally in control. It’s often in working for outer freedom, peace, and justice in the world that we discover an even deeper inner freedom. We must discover this freedom to survive in the presence of so much death. Otherwise, we can become cynical and angry and retreat from God and from other people over time. (Rohr, 2025)
We contemplate the situation described in Matthew 25 that describes the distinction of people who experience Christ in interaction with the poor, hungry, imprisoned, and exposed to the elements and seek the help of the Spirit to live as sheep and not as goats.
References
Leviticus, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/leviticus/19?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 25. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25?31
Meditation on Matthew 25:31-46. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/23/1507509/
Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8
Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). Learning to Choose Freedom. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/learning-to-choose-freedom/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Eternal Life Versus Eternal Punishment. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-23-2026
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