“I Do Not Know You!”

But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Matthew 25:12.

“I do not know you.” Undoubtedly, these are not words we wish to hear from God.  The recent Mass readings have a theme: In short, the day of the Lord will come, unexpectedly. For example,the parable of the ten virgins is Christ’s personal example to us of what the gates of Heaven will involve. The five virgins who were prepared and brought oil for their lamps are brought into the wedding feast. The five fools who did not bring oil are locked outside and told the frightening words: I do not know you.

What Does Sin Do?

When we are baptized, we are freed from sin. We are United to the image and likeness of God. The Lord recognizes us and knows us. Sin hides us away. Worse, sin makes us unrecognizable.

The words we all want to hear at the gates of Heaven are, “well done, good and faithful servant.” These are the words from the parable of the talents when the servants multiply the money their master gives them. At the end of our lives, we should all be able to show the Lord what we did with the life He gave us. Our lives are gifts that are meant to be given away through our vocations.

But the words, I do not know you, are the words we cannot hear. Those words mean we have distanced ourselves from God, and shrouded ourselves in sin. If you did not see or hear from a friend for years, you would inevitably forget you knew them. The same is true when we refuse to pray or attend Mass. We distance ourselves from God until He does not know us.

Does God Know You?

If you knew you would die in an hour, would God know who you were? What words would you hear at the gates? Well done, or I do not know you?