In a recent edition of Unirea-Canton, the monthly newsletter of the Romanian Catholic Diocese in America, Bishop John Michael (page 3) and Hieromonk Maximos (page 14) give us insightful “food for thought” for how we live our Christian lives. His Grace talks about how we live in the world and respond to the continual temptation of sin. Father Maximos makes this same topic personal by connecting our actions to the Gospel of Christ. How many of us have really thought about this—really thought about it deeply?

Do we reveal Christ through our actions in every day activity to our family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, or even strangers? Did we vote in this past election according to the teachings of Christ and His Church? Do we truly take the Gospel of Christ home from church on Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, and live according to His commandment—to love one another?

The Sunday of the Last Judgment is commemorated on the Sunday before the Great Fast, Lent. The icon depicting this event shows Christ as Judge over all of creation, and is one of the few icons that depicts God the Father. I find it to be a useful reminder to live the life that Christ wants me to live, the reason I was put on this earth. He commands us to spread the “good news” of salvation through Him. We are to reveal Christ to the world by acting according to His teachings, and by being the image of Him in all things that we do or say or even think.

Going to church on Sunday is edifying and a wonderful experience. But, to truly experience the Kingdom of God, we must take that experience into the world, revel in God’s creation, and shape it in our small way. Small actions may have a huge impact on someone else; we’ll probably never know. But God will know, and we’ll be judged on the Last Day according to how we live our lives EVERY day, not just on Sunday!