When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:31-40 (KJV)
In times of upheaval—when disease spreads unchecked through distant regions, when health systems fail the rural poor, when travel bans fragment the world further—Christ’s words invite us to ask uncomfortable questions about where our attention and resources actually go. The parable does not separate the sheep from the goats based on intention or grand vision, but on concrete acts of presence and care toward those most easily overlooked. Today’s fractured headlines suggest a world where many crises compete for notice while those in greatest need often remain peripheral to the centers of power. To read these verses is to sit with the invitation—or the judgment—of recognizing the face of Christ in the abandoned hospital, the isolated health crisis, the one suffering at the edge of someone else’s strategic calculus.
What prompted this
Today's news carries a weight of crises unfolding at the margins—disease spreading where resources have been withdrawn, suffering intensifying amid geopolitical tensions, and the vulnerable caught between competing powers.
- Cubans grapple with fuel shortages and blackouts as US steps up pressure BBC World
- US navy chief says $14bn arms sale to Taiwan paused due to Iran war BBC World
- Turkish opposition fights court ousting of leaders in ruling boosting Erdogan BBC World
- Rubio says Cuba is threat to US as Havana accuses him of 'lies' BBC World
- GOP senators delay immigration funding. And, what to expect this hurricane season NPR News
- The aftermath of Trump-Xi summit: comparing U.S. and China announcements NPR News
- What is the 'tarps off' trend that men are engaging in? Find out in the quiz NPR News
- 'We'll never know if he could have been saved.' The gaps in Trump's rural health fund NPR News
- Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ‘not the solution’ The Guardian
- Macron says France must address issue of reparations for its role in slave trade The Guardian