Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-20-05, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

November 20, 2005
Thirty-Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Psalm: Sunday 50

Reading I
Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading II
1 Cor 15:20-26, 28

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.

Gospel
Mt 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

From: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

The Lord, the Shepherd of Israel

[11] ”For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for
my sheep, and will seek them out. [12] As a shepherd seeks out his
flock when some of his sheep” have been scattered abroad, so will I
seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they
have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. [15] I
myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down,
says the Lord God. [16] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back
the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen
the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over;” I will feed
them in justice.

[17] ”As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge
between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats.

Commentary:

34:11-22. Ezekiel says that God has made himself a shepherd for his
people (v. 11); he always looks out for them (vv. 12-16), neglecting
none. This solicitude includes the practice of justice (vv. 17-22); in
this new stage it becomes clearer that divine love and mercy are
compatible with condemnation of the wicked (v. 20): in fact, love can
never exclude justice. This beautiful oracle resounds in our Lord’s
parable of the Good Shepherd who takes care of his sheep (ef. Jn
10:1-21), in what he says about the Father’s joy on finding the lost
sheep (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7), and in things he has to say about
the Last Judgment as reported by St Matthew (Mt 25:31-46). In a sermon
on pastors, St Augustine comments: “He stands guard over us when we
are awake and while we sleep. If an earthly flock is safe in the
vigilant care of a human shepherd, how much more secure are we, who
have God as our shepherd, not only because he desires to teach and
help us, but because he is our creator. "As for you, my flock, thus
says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and
he-goats" (Ezek 34:17). Why are he-goats to be found among God’s
flock? Goats who will be sent to the left, and sheep that will be
called to the right side of God, are to be found in the same fields
and by the same streams; and He tends together those who will later be
separated. The meek patience of sheep is an imitation of the patience
of God. He will separate the flock later, sending some to the right
and some to the left” ("Sermones", 47).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

The Basis of Our Faith (Continuation)

[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a
man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all
die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his
own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong
to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God
the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25]
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
[26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. [28] When all things are
subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him
who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.

Commentary:

20-28. The Apostle insists on the solidarity that exists between Christ
and Christians: as members of one single body, of which Christ is the
head, they form as it were one organism (cf. Rom 6:3-11; Gal 3:28).
Therefore, once the resurrection of Christ is affirmed, the
resurrection of the just necessarily follows. Adam's disobedience
brought death for all; Jesus, the new Adam, has merited that all should
rise (cf. Rom 5:12-21). "Again, the resurrection of Christ effects for
us the resurrection of our bodies not only because it was the efficient
cause of this mystery, but also because we all ought to arise after the
example of the Lord. For with regard to the resurrection of the body we
have this testimony of the Apostle: 'As by a man came death, by a man
has come also the resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:21). In all that
God did to accomplish the mystery of our redemption he made use of the
humanity of Christ as an effective instrument, and hence his
resurrection was, as it were, an instrument for the accomplishment of
our resurrection" ("St Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 13).

Although St Paul here is referring only to the resurrection of the just
(v. 23), he does speak elsewhere of the resurrection of all mankind
(cf. Acts 24:15). The doctrine of the resurrection of the bodies of all
at the end of time, when Jesus will come in glory to judge everyone,
has always been part of the faith of the Church; "he [Christ] will come
at the end of the world, he will judge the living and the dead; and he
will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their works.
And all those will rise with their own bodies which they now have so
that they may receive according to their works, whether good or bad;
the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good, eternal
glory with 'Christ" (Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", chap.
1).

23-28. St Paul outlines very succinctly the entire messianic and
redemptive work of Christ: by decree of the Father, Christ has been
made Lord of the universe (cf. Mt 28:18), in fulfillment of Ps 110:1
and Ps 8:7. When it says here that "the Son himself will also be
subjected to him who put all things under him", this must be understood
as referring to Christ in his capacity of Messiah and head of the
Church; not Christ as God, because the Son is "begotten, not created,
consubstantial with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").

Christ's sovereignty over all creation comes about in history, but it
will achieve its final, complete, form after the Last Judgment. The
Apostle presents that last event--a mystery to us--as a solemn act of
homage to the Father. Christ will offer all creation to his Father as
a kind of trophy, offering him the Kingdom which up to then had been
confided to his care. From that moment on, the sovereignty of God and
Christ will be absolute, they will have no enemies, no rivals; the
stage of combat will have given way to that of contemplation, as St
Augustine puts it (cf. "De Trinitate", 1, 8).

The Parousia or second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time,
when he establishes the new heaven and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1-2),
will mean definitive victory over the devil, over sin, suffering and
death. A Christian's hope in this victory is not something passive:
rather, it is something that spurs him on to ensure that even in this
present life Christ's teaching and spirit imbue all human activities.
"Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth," Vatican II
teaches, "the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is
here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some
way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful
to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the
Kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of
God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human
society.

"When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our
enterprise--human dignity, brotherly communion, and freedom--according
to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once
again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and
transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father an eternal and
universal kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a
kingdom of justice, love and peace ("Roman Missal", preface for the
solemnity of Christ the King). Here on earth the Kingdom is
mysteriously present; when the Lord comes it will enter into its
perfection" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 39).

24. "When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father": this does not
quite catch the beauty of the Greek which literally means "when he
delivers the kingdom to the God and Father". In New Testament Greek,
when the word "Theos" (God) is preceded by the definite article ("ho
Theos") the first person of the Blessed Trinity is being referred to.

25. "He must reign": every year, on the last Sunday of ordinary time,
the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King, to acknowledge
his absolute sovereignty over all created things. On instituting this
feast, Pius XI pointed out that "He must reign in our minds, which
should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed
truths and to the teachings of Christ. He must reign in our wills,
which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our
hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all
things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in
our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior
sanctification of our souls, or, to use the words of the Apostle Paul,
as instruments of righteousness unto God (Rom 6:13)" ("Quas Primas").

28. The subjection of the son which St Paul speaks of here is in no
way opposed to his divinity. He is referring to what will happen when
Christ's mission as Redeemer and Messiah comes to an end, that is,
once final victory is won over the devil, sin and its consequences.
The final victory of Jesus Christ will restore to all creation its
original harmony, which sin destroyed.

"Who can realize", St Bernard comments, "the indescribable sweetness
contained in these few words: God will be everything to everyone? Not
to speak of the body, I see three things in the soul--mind, will and
memory; and these three are one and the same. Everyone who lives
according to the spirit senses in this present life how far he falls
short of wholeness and perfection. Why is this, if not because God is
not yet everything to everyone? That is why ones' mind is so often
mistaken in the judgment it makes, that is why one's will experiences
such restlessness, why one's memory is thrown into confusion by many
things. The noble person is, without wanting to be, at the mercy of
this triple vanity, yet he does not lose hope. For he who responds so
generously to the desires of the soul must also provide the mind with
fullness and light, the will with abundance of peace, and the memory
with visions of eternity. O truth, O charity, O eternity, O blessed and
blessing Trinity! This wretched trinity of mine, sighs for thee, for it
is unfortunately still far from thee" ("Sermon on the Song of Songs",
11).

From: Matthew 25:31-46

The Last Judgment

[31] "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with
Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. [32] Before Him will be
gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as
a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, [33] and He will place
the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. [34] Then the
King will say to those at His right hand, `Come, O blessed of My
Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world; [35] for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and
you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, [36] I was
naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in
prison and you came to Me.' [37] Then the righteous will answer Him,
`Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give
thee drink? [38] And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee,
or naked and clothe Thee? [39] And when did we see Thee sick or in
prison and visit Thee?' [40] And the King will answer them, `Truly I
say to you, as you did it to one of the least of My brethren, you did
it to Me.' [41] Then He will say to those at His left hand, `Depart
from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels; [42] for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was
thirsty and you gave Me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not
welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you
did not visit Me.' [44] Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we
see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not minister to Thee?' [45] Then He will answer them, `Truly,
I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did
it not to Me.' [46] And they will go away into eternal punishment, but
the righteous into eternal life."

Commentary:

31-46. The three parables (Matthew 24:42-51; 25:1-13; and 25:14-30) are
completed by the announcement of a rigorous last judgment, a last act
in a drama, in which all matters of justice are resolved. Christian
tradition calls it the Last Judgment, to distinguish it from the
"Particular Judgment" which everyone undergoes immediately after
death. The sentence pronounced at the end of time will simply be a
public, formal confirmation of that already passed on the good and the
evil, the elect and the reprobate.

31-33. In the Prophets and in the Book of Revelation the Messiah is
depicted on a throne, like a judge. This is how Jesus will come at the
end of the world, to judge the living and the dead.

The Last Judgment is a truth spelled out in the very earliest credal
statements of the Church and dogma of faith solemnly defined by
Benedict XII in the Constitution "Benedictus Deus" (29 January 1336).

35-46. All the various things listed in this passage (giving people
food and drink, clothing them, visiting them) become works of Christian
charity when the person doing them sees Christ in these "least" of His
brethren.

Here we can see the seriousness of sins of omission. Failure to do
something which one should do means leaving Christ unattended.

"We must learn to recognize Christ when He comes out to meet us in our
brothers, the people around us. No human life is ever isolated. It is
bound up with other lives. No man or woman is a single verse; we all
make up one divine poem which God writes with the cooperation of our
freedom" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 111).

We will be judged on the degree and quality of our love (cf. St. John
of the Cross, "Spiritual Sentences and Maxims", 57). Our Lord will ask
us to account not only for the evil we have done but also for the good
we have omitted. We can see that sins of omission are a very serious
matter and that the basis of love of neighbor is Christ's presence in
the least of our brothers and sisters.

St. Teresa of Avila writes: "Here the Lord asks only two things of us:
love for His Majesty and love of our neighbor. It is for these two
virtues that we must strive, and if we attain them perfectly we are
doing His will [...]. The surest sign that we are keeping these two
commandments is, I think, that we should really be loving our neighbor;
for we cannot be sure if we are loving God, although we may have good
reasons for believing that we are, but we can know quite well if we are
loving our neighbor. And be certain that, the farther advanced you
find you are in this, the greater the love you will have for God; for
so dearly does His Majesty love us that He will reward our love for our
neighbor by increasing the love which we bear to Himself, and that in a
thousand ways: this I cannot doubt" ("Interior Castle", V, 3).

This parable clearly shows that Christianity cannot be reduced to a
kind of agency for "doing good". Service of our neighbor acquires
supernatural value when it is done out of love for Christ, when we see
Christ in the person in need. This is why St. Paul asserts that "if I
give away all I have...but have not love, I gain nothing" (1
Corinthians 13:3). Any interpretation of Jesus' teaching on the Last
Judgment would be wide of the mark if it gave it a materialistic
meaning or confused mere philanthropy with genuine Christian charity.

40-45. In describing the exigencies of Christian charity which gives
meaning to "social aid", the Second Vatican Council says: "Wishing to
come to topics that are practical and of some urgency, the Council lays
stress on respect for the human person: everyone should look upon his
neighbor (without any exception) as another self, bearing in mind,
above all, his life and the means necessary for living it in a
dignified way, `lest he follow the example of the rich man who ignored
Lazarus, the poor man' (cf. Luke 16:18-31).

"Today there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of
every man, no matter who he is, and if we meet him, to come to his aid
in a positive way, whether he is an aged person abandoned by all, a
foreign worker despised without reason, a refugee, an illegitimate
child wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a starving
human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of
Christ: `As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you
did it to Me.'" ("Gaudium Et Spes," 27).

46. The eternal punishment of the reprobate and the eternal reward of
the elect are a dogma of faith solemnly defined by the Magisterium of
the Church in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): "He [Christ] will come
at the end of the world; He will judge the living and the dead; and He
will reward all, both the lost and the elect, according to their
works. And all these will rise with their own bodies which they now
have so that they may receive according to their works, whether good or
bad; the wicked, a perpetual punishment with the devil; the good,
eternal glory with Christ."

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King. That the Lord is King is obvious from the Holy Scriptures. He's of Davidic descent (Matt. 1:1) as befits the the Messiah of Israel (1:16); He revealed himself as such before Pilate (John 18:36-37) and the last book of the Bible is a narrative of his Coming Kingdom.

The Eastern and Western Churches portray the Lord's Kingship in similar yet different ways. The Eastern Orthodox icon to the right, written (for icons, like Holy Scripture, are "written," not "painted") by the Monk Michael, pictures Christ both in the garb of an Eastern Archbishop and Byzantine Emperor, whose garb often was identical to those of Eastern hierarchs. The vestments consist of the following elements:

The STICHARION or tunic which is worn by all clerics in slightly modified forms. Equivalent to the Roman alb, it may be of any material and color although white is usual.
The EPIMANIKIA or cuffs are worn by the deacon and higher ranks of clergy. The priest and bishop wear the cuffs over the sleeves of the STICHARION while the deacon places them underneath his STICHARION's broader sleeve. The cuffs were the symbols of civil authority in the Byzantine Empire.
The EPIGONATION is a lozenge shaped vestment suspended by a cord from the left shoulder and hanging.
The SACCOS is that vestment proper to Bishops which gradually replaced their use of the PHELONION. Directly copied from late imperial regalia it is a shorter tunic with ample sleeves and marked with a cross on the back. It is worn over the STICHARION or under tunic.
The OMOPHORION is probably one of the most ancient of the Bishop's vestments with a strictly symbolic origin. Copied from the scarf of office worn by the Emperor and other officials it identified the Bishop as head of the community. A large, long band of cloth it is marked with crosses and is passed around the neck hanging in front and behind. A "small" OMOPHORION worn simply around the neck and hanging in two pendants on the chest is properly worn in place of the large one after the gospel at the Liturgy. The OMOPHORION is worn by all Byzantine Bishops and corresponds to the Latin pallium.
The MITRA or Bishop's crown is equivalent to the Latin mitre as the Bishop's head covering. The crown is embroidered and bears small icons and is surmounted by a cross. Its origin is similar to that of the papal tiara and its use was adopted after the fall of the Byzantine Roman Empire. Certain Archimandrites and Archpriests, although not of episcopal character, have the right to the use of the crown. (Source: Byzantine Vestments)

The words: "King of Kings" and "Great High Priest" flank the Lord to his left and to his right respectively. He holds his right hand in blessing and in his left he holds the Holy Scriptures, opened, if I'm not mistaken, to the Letter to the Hebrews -- and there my Greek fails me.

The Latin portrayal of Christ the King also follows closely Western symbols of kingly power. To the left, painted by an unknown artist, we see our Lord portrayed in medieval royal garb, a scepter, and a two-tiered tiara, perhaps symbolizing his two natures (human and divine) or his offices (high priest and king). On his breast we see his Sacred Heart burning with love towards humanity.

The Lord's right hand is also lifted in a gesture of blessing. Note also how the position of the fingers differ from East and West. In the Greek icon, the Lord's ring finger and thumb touch each other. This pairing symbolizes the two natures of Christ, divine and human, joined together. The remaining three fingers symbolize the Triune Godhead. In the Western portrayal, the ring and "pinky" fingers are flexed and the other three remain standing. The meaning of the gesture remains the same: Christ, True God and True Man, the Trinity, God One and Undivided. To this day, Eastern priests and bishops bless the people using the finger configuration depicted on the icon; sadly, the Latin form has fallen into general disuse.

The Feast and the Novena

In the Western Church, the Feast of Christ the King marks the end of the Liturgical Year. Pope Pius XI introduced the feast in 1925 as a response to increasing atheism and secularism in the world. It is then fitting that we finish this presentation with the following Novena Prayer to Christ the King:

Recite One Our Father, One Hail Mary and One Glory Be per day followed by the Novena Prayer: O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations. We pray to You, Lord, in the great expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things. Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth. Guard us we pray Most Faithful One. Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you. Jesus, You are a King of Mercy. We have deserved Your Just Judgment Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. We trust in Your Great Mercy. O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray; May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth. Amen.

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At this moment in the semester, many of them are stressed about papers and group projects that are due in the next few weeks. Recently our discussion, with the help of a passage from the 31st chapter of the Book of Wisdom, led us to a heartfelt conversation about Christian marriage and the search for a future spouse. Often, as we socialize before or after our meetings, the conversation centers on football. Group projects, women and football tend to weigh heavily on the hearts of college men. What is reigning in your heart these days? The Church invites us to ask ourselves that question this weekend as we celebrate the final Sunday of the church year, Christ the King. The readings and prayers of the Mass direct our attention to the end times when the world as we know it will come to an end, Christ will come again in all His glory, He will judge the living and the dead, and He will present the world to His Heavenly Father. Surely our prayer is that Jesus will look us in the eyes with tender mercy and great love and say to us, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Mt 25:34). Christ is indeed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will come again with wondrous signs and great power to definitively establish His reign for all eternity. However, His response to us at the consummation of the world will depend on how we chose to live our lives here and now. One of the more impressive aspects of Christ’s reign in the world is that He does not force His kingship upon His subjects. He prefers that we voluntarily submit. Instead of governing us with guns, shackles, fear and brute force, He reigns by knocking on the doors of our hearts and waiting for us to invite Him in. He wants His kingship over us to be one we freely choose because in truth and love we know both that we need Him and that He deserves to be the King of our hearts. Once Christ arrives at His proper place in our hearts and lives, we gratefully venture out into the world to bring His blessings to the needy — the hungry, the thirsty, the naked and the imprisoned. Love for God automatically spills over into a burning love for our neighbor. It becomes a passion of the heart. What, or Who, is reigning in your heart these days? What place does Christ have in your heart? It should be higher than work, relationships and the record of your favorite team. Do you really love Jesus with all your heart? Are His thoughts your thoughts? Are His ways your ways? Our God reigns! Fr. Peterson is Campus Minister at Marymount University in Arlington and interim director of the Youth Apostles Institute. (This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)