“I myself will look after my sheep”

The parable in today’s Gospel about the final judgment has many interpretations.

In the past, the interpretation that’s stood out to me is a moral one: When I examine my life, do I prioritize the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the marginalized?

But more recently, the interpretation that’s stood out to me is what this parable reveals about God. Today’s first reading seems to highlight that as well.

Who is the God revealed in Scripture?

A God who prioritizes the most marginalized and vulnerable so much that he promises to personally shepherd them when their own religious and political leaders have failed them. But not only that!

In the parable, God tells us that he, the creator of time and space itself, personally identifies himself with the most marginalized of people.

The parable is truly “Good news to the poor.” When leaders and institutions abuse their authority, and structural sin runs rampant, God is telling us that he is always on the side of the vulnerable.