Sunday of the Last Judgment

Those who adhere to the worship in our Church are aware that the four Sundays, with which we prepare ourselves for the Great Lent, take their names from the Gospel passages we read in the Divine Liturgy. The Sunday of the Last Judgment, or this Sunday, draws its name from a reading taken by the Church from the Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46). How do we name a specific day after what God will do on a future day? This is the revelation of mercy, the pursuit of which encompasses the entire preparatory period. History is ascension to God. The Church, desiring us to be with God, shows us the way to Him. She says: "Do not judge. Judgment is God's". Everything in Christianity can be corrupted by us. In adhering to fasting, like anything that is set for our own good, we might see ourselves as better than others. Nothing ruins commitment, that is, distracts us from what it requires, like seeing ourselves as something in our own eyes. How do we escape from this bitter sin? By loving people, by constantly reminding ourselves that they are the image of God. This is a great gateway to enter into the Great Lent.