LAST JUDGMENT QUESTION -- WHY DID I NOT KNOW?

Can you just give me some insight as to the significance of being a sheep?

So far I understand this:

Jesus is a sacrificial lamb (therefore making him a sign of humility, meekness, and kindness)

Sheep always need to be led

Sheep are somewhat ignorant, but in a way that makes them humble/obedient

Sheep have a strong presence in scripture due to the cultural significance

Why a goat? Other parts of the bible use a wolf, but this passage uses a goat, is there significance to that?

Here in this passage, the sheep on the right of Jesus have obviously been saved because of their life 
actions (what seem very similar to the corporal works of mercy). However they deny knowing that they 
acted in this way, “Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you…”

The same goes for the ones on the left (the goats). The goats are being condemned (for their inactions) 
but they also are asking “Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty…”

It seems that the sheep are ignorant of their good actions, and the same can be said for the goats 
(ignorant of their inaction), so why are the sheep good and the goats bad?

It is obvious that the sheep are good because of their behavior (practicing the corporal works of mercy, 
loving one another), but yet they do not know that they are doing good deeds.

We practice these behaviors today because Jesus has revealed them through his ongoing revelation, 
but we do these actions in his name, there is no denying that. I think I would find myself saying “yes, 
Lord, I clothed the naked because I Love You and I love my neighbor.” I would definitely not say “well 
when did I feed you, when did I clothe you?”

It just seems confusing to me because both the righteous and the evil are being judged for something 
they are ignorant of.

How can someone not know if they are doing something good?

I hope I am explaining myself…

Thank you for your question.  In reading your explanation a couple things
come to mind.

1. The question from the audience is a post resurrection universal gathering
of all the souls who ever existed.

2. They ask the question "When did we ever  see YOU...?  Jesus answers,
"Remember the street corner panhandler to whom you gave a bottle of water?"

3. Jesus knows that much of the good that we do, we do not go beyond the
wretch for whom we do it, but the Shepherd receives every good that we share whether we are conscious of His presence or not.

4. Jesus knows the good that the jungle dweller does and He receives it with
pleasure even though the jungle dweller has no idea.  But the jungle dweller
will be there at the fateful hour and he will discover that his desire and activity
for the benefit of the world around him was received by the creator in love.

5. There's a teaching in this chapter that is little known because the homilists
don't have time to bring it home.  It is not their fault.  The entire chapter is
not read at one crack during any liturgy.

Your question touches on precisely that lesson.  The story of the ten maidens
and the story of talents talk about people who should know better.  In the
first case, simple human nature, common sense precautions.  In the case of 
the talents, knowledge of the BOSS and his attitude towards the help is ignored 
at the servant's peril.  
In the final wrap-up, everyone is there and so the language indicates.

6. When we do Acts of Mercy we never see Christ except in faith - Post
resurrection faith which is the grace that clarifies the Bible story for us +
2,000 years of grace-filled growth of understanding.

Despite that, I can tell you that we do corporal acts of mercy at moments
that we don't know about.  Now that you are in the public eye, I can assure
you that you do not know 100% of the good that you do in your daily life.

It happened to me last night, again.  A man that I don't know approached me as though I am a saint.  I don't know him from a bar of soap!  But He knows
Jesus Christ through me!  He told me so.  We talked for about 15 solid minutes
about some heavy duty stuff because He sees Christ in me.

T..., get ready for it.  When we work directly in the Church, we have to
 be ready to accept the fact that God's people see Him through us.  

In your meditations to those preparing for Confirmation, please tell them that
they have to live in such a way that others will see Christ through them.
Their life is going to be the sermon that they preach to the world.  Yes, all
of them just as all of us, will do good without seeing Christ in the recipient
of their actions, but Christ will accept it anyway.

Confirmation is a great blessing for us.  We, the teachers, get to talk to them,
the disciples, directly, not to their parents.  We somehow have to reach them
in the depths of their beings and hope that they will accept the fire of the
Pentecost and carry it forward to the coming of the JUDGE.

Bottom line, Stay ready, live clean or fry.

HERE'S WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM ALL I HEARD OVER THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

The Lamb was born, so the shepherds came for Him

Did you ever think of it that way?  Who else gets to be at the birth of a lamb?  Besides the ewe, I mean.  No one.  The shepherd is the midwife.

Shepherds?  Those stinky,smelly, oily, sweaty smelling. never-take-a-bath kind of people get to hear the angels singing before anyone else?  Of course.  It had to be the shepherds.  They were on the job.  They didn't have to be awakened.  They were there, watching, waiting, ready, ever vigilant.  Again, who else?

Who else would be simple and accepting of a lighted sky, sweet music and a comforting invitation to not be afraid?  Uneducated, simple field folk would be happy to have a change in the nightly routine.  They would not ask questions.  They would not run back to the Scriptures to find out who this really could be.  No way.  Let's go.

Finally, it fits the pattern.  God reveals Himself to those who have the least tendency to doubt and the greatest tendency to let their curiosity run free. From Genesis to Revelation, the simple and the curious get the call, and always with that suave invitation, "Do not be afraid."  It's the call that the marginalized wait for.  God and the Godly are the true fit for the marginalized.  The shepherds didn't just happen to be there that night.  They were always there.  On the job.  The fields, the sheep, the birds, the stars and the moon are all that they had.  That one night though, they had a special Lamb to care for and they knew just how to do it...generously and without fear.  

Like the Pope said, "A true missionary smells like sheep."  

Come to think of it, that's perhaps why most of them are celibate!

So, that's one of my "take-aways" from this Christmas.  Be a shepherd.  God loves those who smell like sheep.

SALVATION BY FAITH [ALONE] ? NOPE

Here we are.  The sheep and the goats.  The  believers and the doers .  The Ark builders; the Circumcizers; The Altar builders; The Seder organizers; The Exodus leaders; the Conquerors; The Prophets, The Kings; The Temple builders; The Widow  and Orphan protectors; The Martyrs, [think Maccabees] and the Apostles.  All of these and more on the right.

Then there are the Rich who know that they are blessed by God;  There are the Powerful who know that God supports them because they can afford to buy a horse from the Arabs; The Comfortable who are sure that God loves them because they can afford to buy myrrh from the Egyptians; The Poor who know that their downtrodden state is only the introduction to the gift of plenty that was given to Job; The Criers who assure God that they have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior just as He asked everyone to be.  Finally there are those who have been asked to sell all that they have and who walk away because that is too much to ask of them.

This is the challenge that we are all going to hear on this the feast of Christ the King.  The challenge in simple monosyllabic terms is "Do what I want you to do.  I want you to sell all that you have, leave your fishing nets in your boat and follow me."  The secret to Salvation is Believing and Doing.
Following the Will of God leads us to the sheep fold and keeps us there.  Anything else gets us into the goat camp.  You wouldn't want to be the Leon Culberson of all eternity, now would you?