Posted on 11/25/2017 7:33:42 PM PST by Salvation
http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=150
Year A - Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King
When the son of man comes in his glory
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me 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 nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’
45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
(NRSV)
Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
I am the King of Kings. The savior of the world, the Son of God who has planted the kingdom of heaven in your hearts. And yet I was rejected and condemned to death because of my divine royalty.
Men were accustomed to earthly kingdoms, where some kings actually took advantage of their subjects and had slaves to serve them. The Jews expected a powerful king sent by God who would overpower their enemies and make the chosen people stronger than the rest of the world. The Messiah was for them a great sign of hope for a better world here on earth, but they did not understand the plan of God, which was to send his Son to free the world from the slavery of sin.
My first coming to the world was not to impress anyone as a powerful king but to be the suffering servant of God my Father in heaven. I came to serve, not to be served, to teach you my wisdom, which is to do the will of my Father.
Because of my perfect life in accordance with the will of God, I, God the son, having taken human flesh to be a man like you in all ways except sin, became the perfect instrument of God to pay with my human flesh for the sins of the world.
In my pure nature I received the punishment for all humanity through the offering of my entire life, my sufferings and my death on the cross. To prove the acceptance of my holy sacrifice, God the Father permitted me to triumph over death with my resurrection, so that you may have faith in me in order to find eternal life in me after your death.
My death and my resurrection glorified me, and glorified my Heavenly Father. They opened the gates of heaven, which were shut because of sin; they restored men to the pristine quality of the sinless man, the Christ.
In my first coming I came to save not to condemn, to instruct in the ways of perfection, and to point myself as the way, the truth and the life.
My second coming will be very different from the first. I am the King of Glory; I come with authority to judge the earth. Those who rejected me will be rejected, those who did not follow me will perish eternally, and those who lived for themselves will have no eternal life.
My words will be my judgment, those who lived holy lives will be welcomed into my eternal kingdom of joy, but those who lived for sin will enter eternal punishment.
Be good while you still have a chance, forgive so that you may be forgiven, love one another to prove yourselves worthy of my love, give generously and you shall be given generously, be merciful and my mercy will be shown to you.
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
The readings for this Feast of Christ the King evoke three images of Christ as King. All of them are to some extent paradoxical because they emphasize things we dont usually associate with kings. They also tell us that we have already met King Jesus even if we dont realize it. Lets look at these three images of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of all Creation:
I. Caring King The first reading, from Ezekiel 34, speaks of the Lord as a shepherd who cares for His flock. Here are some of the lines that summarize His care: I myself will look after and tend my sheep I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark I myself will give them rest The lost I will seek out The strayed I will bring back The injured I will bind up. The sick I will heal.
In the modern world we dont typically think of kings and heads of state in such a caring role. Most world leaders are inaccessible to us, existing behind many layers of security and staff. Even bishops of larger dioceses are hard to reach personally.
Jesus, however, is a King who is more present to us than we are to ourselves. An old revival hymn says, Jesus is on the Main Line call him up and tell him what you want. Another song says, God is just one prayer away.
In the ancient world it was much more comment to speak of a caring king. Most kings had more immediate contact with their subjects. Many had certain days on which their subjects could line up to talk to them. It is said that St. Athanasius ran up to the emperor on his horse one day, grabbed the reins, and proceeded to debate a theological point with him.
Until relatively recently, even U.S. Presidents had office hours. It is said that on Tuesdays Abraham Lincoln received visitors from among the citizenry who sought to speak to him of their concerns. They would line up at the door without formal appointments and hed listen to them one by one. As our culture has become more violent and public figures have become more widely recognized and vulnerable, leaders have receded into sealed, bulletproof, and figuratively soundproof worlds, hearing little from ordinary people.
The idea of a king who cares for his people personally is somewhat paradoxical to us today, but Jesus does care for His people.
I want to testify that I do indeed have a caring King, Jesus. Hes been good to me. He has led me, rescued me, purified me, fed me, instructed me, and graced me; He died for me.
I also want to testify that He was being good to me even when I didnt think He was being good to me. Scripture says, All things work together for good to them who love and trust the Lord (Rom 8:28). Notice that not just the good things work for my benefit but even the bad things. God sometimes permits some stuff to happen because it will bless us in the end. Even if youre suffering, dont give up on God. Some of His gifts sometimes come in strange packages. St Paul says, For this affliction is producing for us a weight of glory beyond compare (2 Cor 4:17).
Did you notice the last line in the passage from Ezekiel? But the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly. Yes, even at those times when I needed to be humbled (to have my pride destroyed) the Lord was shepherding me rightly. There was a time in my life when I was sleeker and stronger, but the Lord let me experience some humiliation, destroying me as it were, and giving me humility. I even see this humiliation physically, for I was once slim and now I am overweight. It is humbling to be fat, especially when people scold me; they seem to think it is easy to lose weight. But God will humble them too, perhaps in other ways. God hates pride; He just cant stand it. This is because He knows how deadly it is to us.
Yes, God is a caring King. Some of His ways are paradoxical. Do not reduce the noun care merely to meaning that which comforts and consoles. It can be that, but not always! Sometimes the caring thing to do is to rebuke, warn, or even punish. God never ceases to care for us. Im a witness. Hes been good to me. Even when I didnt think He was being good to me, He was being good to me.
II. Conquering King Todays second reading speaks Jesus victory over all things, saying that He has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep; that He has reversed what Adam did; that He is the first fruits, then each one in proper order will also rise. It says that He will hand the kingdom over to God his Father when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power and that he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, the last enemy to be destroyed being death.
Here, too, there is a great paradox. As Hebrews says, In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death (Heb 2:8-10).
So while at times it seems that evil triumphs, God is working. One by one, He is putting all His enemies under His feet. One day, even death itself will be destroyed. The paradox of the cross shouts to us that God conquers, not by brutality and cruel strength, but by love, forgiveness, and mercythings the world dismisses as weak.
Here, too, I want to say that God is a conquering King in my life. He has destroyed the power of many sins and diminished the strength of others on the way to their ultimate destruction. I have seen sins put down and under His feet as He cleanses the temple of my soul. He has conquered so much of my pride. I am seeing lust, greed, anger, sloth, envy, and fear on the ropes. One by one, He is diminishing their power and replacing them with greater love, compassion, kindness, purity, love for the truth, prayerfulness, courage, trust, and eagerness to do good and to win souls.
Thank you, Lord, for being a conquering King in my life.
Unlike worldly kings, this conquering King does not force us to be His subjects and live in His kingdom. Earthly kings conquer regions and force peoples under their rule by might. But Jesus is a King who respects our freedom to decide whether to have Him as our King and to accept the virtues of His kingdomor not. Hence, Hell is not so much a place of punishment as it is a place for those who refuse, those who say no to Christ and His kingdom. This King, though all-powerful, does not force His kingship and laws. He offers them to all and allows each of us to decide.
III. Concealed King The Gospel teaches us that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. In this second coming we will discover that we have known Him all along, though in a paradoxical way. As Christ comes and takes His seat and all are summoned to Him, we are going to have a strange sense that weve met Him beforeand He will confirm that.
For indeed, we have met His Majesty and He is the strangest King of all. He is a King who is hungry, thirsty, sick, lonely, a foreigner, in prison, and a stranger. The list He gives should not be seen as exhaustive, for He is in the needy, whether rich or poor. He is in the discouraged loved one who cannot find a job; He is in our children, who need to be taught and encouraged; He is in the co-worker who just lost his wife; he is in the patient who was diagnosed with cancer; He is in the lost family member who needs instruction and to be drawn back to the Sacraments. He is even in you, in your struggles and needs.
Yes, we have met this King every day. And He is not merely saying that these people have some moral union with Him. He is saying, mystically, that He is each one of them. And when we cared for them, we were not simply doing something ethical; we were serving and caring for Him: You did it for me.
What a strange King! We usually picture kings in palaces, far removed from trouble, but this King is naked, poor, hungry, and thirsty. We walk past Him every day.
To those who have cared for Him in His poor, He says that He will never forget what they have done. The poor may not be able to repay us, but King Jesus will repay us a millionfold. On the day of our judgment we will look at Jesus and say, I know you! I recognize you! And He will say, I know you, too. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
We should not view this judgment scene as containing the only standards by which we are to be judged, for numerous other passages lay out other standards such as having faith, being willing to carry our cross, living in purity, forgiving others, and loving our enemy. But this passage does remind us that we are not to neglect the corporal works of mercy.
Yes, Jesus our King is the strangest one you will ever meet: a caring and close King, a conquering King who never forces, a King who is hungry and thirsty, a King who reigns from the cross, a King who dies so that we dont have to, a King who washes our feet, a King who comes to serve rather than to be served. He is a King, all right, one who rules with love, not force. Hes the strangest King youve ever met, and you meet Him every day: in the Eucharist, in the poor, in His Word, in your heart, in the events of your day, and in your very self.
Solemnity of Christ the King
Reading I: Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17 II: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28
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 these 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."
On the judgment day, Christ will reign as the King who will judge all humanity according to the acts of kindness done to the poor and the suffering.
St. Catherine of Bologna
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 25 |
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31. | And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. | Cum autem venerit Filius hominis in majestate sua, et omnes angeli cum eo, tunc sedebit super sedem majestatis suæ : | οταν δε ελθη ο υιος του ανθρωπου εν τη δοξη αυτου και παντες οι αγιοι αγγελοι μετ αυτου τοτε καθισει επι θρονου δοξης αυτου |
32. | And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: | et congregabuntur ante eum omnes gentes, et separabit eos ab invicem, sicut pastor segregat oves ab hædis : | και συναχθησεται εμπροσθεν αυτου παντα τα εθνη και αφοριει αυτους απ αλληλων ωσπερ ο ποιμην αφοριζει τα προβατα απο των εριφων |
33. | And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. | et statuet oves quidem a dextris suis, hædos autem a sinistris. | και στησει τα μεν προβατα εκ δεξιων αυτου τα δε εριφια εξ ευωνυμων |
34. | Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. | Tunc dicet rex his qui a dextris ejus erunt : Venite benedicti Patris mei, possidete paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi : | τοτε ερει ο βασιλευς τοις εκ δεξιων αυτου δευτε οι ευλογημενοι του πατρος μου κληρονομησατε την ητοιμασμενην υμιν βασιλειαν απο καταβολης κοσμου |
35. | For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: | esurivi enim, et dedistis mihi manducare : sitivi, et dedistis mihi bibere : hospes eram, et collegistis me : | επεινασα γαρ και εδωκατε μοι φαγειν εδιψησα και εποτισατε με ξενος ημην και συνηγαγετε με |
36. | Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. | nudus, et cooperuistis me : infirmus, et visitastis me : in carcere eram, et venistis ad me. | γυμνος και περιεβαλετε με ησθενησα και επεσκεψασθε με εν φυλακη ημην και ηλθετε προς με |
37. | Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? | Tunc respondebunt ei justi, dicentes : Domine, quando te vidimus esurientem, et pavimus te : sitientem, et dedimus tibi potum ? | τοτε αποκριθησονται αυτω οι δικαιοι λεγοντες κυριε ποτε σε ειδομεν πεινωντα και εθρεψαμεν η διψωντα και εποτισαμεν |
38. | And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? | quando autem te vidimus hospitem, et collegimus te : aut nudum, et cooperuimus te ? | ποτε δε σε ειδομεν ξενον και συνηγαγομεν η γυμνον και περιεβαλομεν |
39. | Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? | aut quando te vidimus infirmum, aut in carcere, et venimus ad te ? | ποτε δε σε ειδομεν ασθενη η εν φυλακη και ηλθομεν προς σε |
40. | And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. | Et respondens rex, dicet illis : Amen dico vobis, quamdiu fecistis uni ex his fratribus meis minimis, mihi fecistis. | και αποκριθεις ο βασιλευς ερει αυτοις αμην λεγω υμιν εφ οσον εποιησατε ενι τουτων των αδελφων μου των ελαχιστων εμοι εποιησατε |
41. | Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. | Tunc dicet et his qui a sinistris erunt : Discedite a me maledicti in ignem æternum, qui paratus est diabolo, et angelis ejus : | τοτε ερει και τοις εξ ευωνυμων πορευεσθε απ εμου οι κατηραμενοι εις το πυρ το αιωνιον το ητοιμασμενον τω διαβολω και τοις αγγελοις αυτου |
42. | For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. | esurivi enim, et non dedistis mihi manducare : sitivi, et non desistis mihi potum : | επεινασα γαρ και ουκ εδωκατε μοι φαγειν εδιψησα και ουκ εποτισατε με |
43. | I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. | hospes eram, et non collegistis me : nudus, et non cooperuistis me : infirmus, et in carcere, et non visitastis me. | ξενος ημην και ου συνηγαγετε με γυμνος και ου περιεβαλετε με ασθενης και εν φυλακη και ουκ επεσκεψασθε με |
44. | Then they also shall answer him, saying: 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? | Tunc respondebunt ei et ipsi, dicentes : Domine, quando te vidimus esurientem, aut sitientem, aut hospitem, aut nudum, aut infirmum, aut in carcere, et non ministravimus tibi ? | τοτε αποκριθησονται και αυτοι λεγοντες κυριε ποτε σε ειδομεν πεινωντα η διψωντα η ξενον η γυμνον η ασθενη η εν φυλακη και ου διηκονησαμεν σοι |
45. | Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. | Tunc respondebit illis, dicens : Amen dico vobis : Quamdiu non fecistis uni de minoribus his, nec mihi fecistis. | τοτε αποκριθησεται αυτοις λεγων αμην λεγω υμιν εφ οσον ουκ εποιησατε ενι τουτων των ελαχιστων ουδε εμοι εποιησατε |
46. | And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. | Et ibunt hi in supplicium æternum : justi autem in vitam æternam. | και απελευσονται ουτοι εις κολασιν αιωνιον οι δε δικαιοι εις ζωην αιωνιον |
The Last Judgment polyptych is Rogier van der Weyden's largest work. Together with the Van Eyck brothers' Adoration of the Lamb, this is one of the absolute masterpieces of the golden age of Flemish painting.
The enormous polyptych is made up of fifteen panels of different sizes. It was painted by Rogier Van der Weyden and his studio for the "great hall of the poor" in the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune. This hospital was founded by the fabulously wealthy Chancellor Rolin, and his devout third wife, Guigonne de Salins, for the salvation of their souls and in the hope of storing up treasures in heaven. Work began in 1443. The room was a vast open nave, with a panelled barrel vault for a ceiling, and could contain thirty canopied beds along its two long walls. The polyptych was placed at one end of this space, behind the altar, in a chapel separated from the nave by an "open-work wooden partition", through which patients could follow the divine service from their sick beds.
As long as the polyptych hung in the chapel, it was traditional to open the wings on Sundays and solemn feast days. But since it has been restored, it is now kept in a neighbouring room which is air-conditioned to prevent any further deterioration due to the heat generated by the three hundred thousand visitors who come to see it each year. The panels were sawn in half across the thickness of the wood a few years ago, and both front and the reverse are now exhibited simultaneously, side by side.
On either side of the central figures of Christ and the archangel Michael, the composition is built up on two levels. Above is a cloud of gold, on which are seated the apostles, judges in the celestial tribunal, as well as a pope, a bishop, a king, a monk and three women. Below them is the earth, from which the resurrected souls emerge, to go either to damnation or to eternal bliss. The central panel is dominated by the son of God, seated on a semi-circular rainbow, with the Virgin Mary at one end of the arc and St John the Baptist at the other. Christ's feet rest on a sphere, symbol of the universe. With his right hand, he blesses those who are saved and with his left curses those who are damned. These two gestures are emphasized by appropriate emblems, respectively, a lily and a blazing sword. Beneath Christ stands St Michael, prince of the heavenly hosts. He is pictured as young, because he is immortal and as handsome, because he is the embodiment of divine justice. He holds in his hands a scale in which he weighs souls. The souls are represented by two little naked figures, whose names are "Virtutes" and "Peccata". The former kneels, overcome with delight, while the latter seems horrified and screams with terror.
The lower tier depicts the elect and the damned. They are represented by two small groups of figures. They too are naked and are portrayed on a smaller, more human scale, than the saints above them. We see them propelled inexorably towards their fate. The damned are crushed beneath the weight of their sins. They have themselves painfully up out of the cracked dry earth, surrounded by sparks of fire and wisps of smoke. In contrast, on the opposite side of the polyptych, as one approaches paradise, flowers grow more and more abundant. In Van der Weyden's time, woman was regarded as a temptress and it was therefore more difficult for her to be saved than for a man - hence there are only two women in the group which, lead by an angel, are about to ascend to heaven. It was also believed that lunatics were possessed by demons. Here, the figures of the damned are tortured and deformed by hatred and their faces distorted by madness. Gripped by a collective hysteria, they are unable to weep, but instead scream and fight, as their folly draws them on towards eternal punishment. At the far left-hand side of the polyptych, paradise is represented as a gothic porch ablaze with light, the door that leads to the divine dwelling place. On the other side, hell is strangely lacking in devils. Instead, it is merely represented by a pile of dark rocks spewing flames and volcanic vapours.
(Commentary from Web Gallery of Art.)
Columban was the greatest of the Irish missionaries who worked on the European continent. As a young man who was greatly tormented by temptations of the flesh, he sought the advice of a religious woman who had lived a hermits life for years. He saw in her answer a call to leave the world. He went first to a monk on an island in Lough Erne, then to the great monastic seat of learning at Bangor.
After many years of seclusion and prayer, he traveled to Gaul with 12 companion missionaries. They won wide respect for the rigor of their discipline, their preaching, and their commitment to charity and religious life in a time characterized by clerical laxity and civil strife. Columban established several monasteries in Europe which became centers of religion and culture.
Like all saints, he met opposition. Ultimately he had to appeal to the pope against complaints of Frankish bishops, for vindication of his orthodoxy and approval of Irish customs. He reproved the king for his licentious life, insisting that he marry. Since this threatened the power of the queen mother, Columban was deported back to Ireland. His ship ran aground in a storm, and he continued his work in Europe, ultimately arriving in Italy, where he found favor with the king of the Lombards. In his last years he established the famous monastery of Bobbio, where he died. His writings include a treatise on penance and against Arianism, sermons, poetry, and his monastic rule.
Now that public sexual license is becoming extreme, we need the Churchs memory of a young man as concerned about chastity as Columban. And now that the comfort-captured Western world stands in tragic contrast to starving millions, we need the challenge to austerity and discipline of a group of Irish monks. They were too strict, we say; they went too far. How far shall we go?
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Saturday, November 26
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ the King. In 2001, Blessed Pope John
Paul II described Christ's Kingship as being for
all men, not just those who follow Him. The
Father offers Christ to all families, nations and
generations.
Old Calendar: Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost ; Other Titles: Feast of Christ the King
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, formerly referred to as "Christ the King," was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.
Today's Mass establishes the titles for Christ's royalty over men: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him"; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.
Today's Mass also describes the qualities of Christ's kingdom. This kingdom is: 1) supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings; 2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places; 3) eternal, for "The Lord shall sit a King forever"; 4) spiritual, Christ's "kingdom is not of this world." Rt. Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Gandas
Before the reform of the Roman Calendar in 1969, this feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of October.
Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.
Christ the King as Represented in the Liturgy
The liturgy is an album in which every epoch of Church history immortalizes itself. Therein, accordingly, can be found the various pictures of Christ beloved during succeeding centuries. In its pages we see pictures of Jesus suffering and in agony; we see pictures of His Sacred Heart; yet these pictures are not proper to the nature of the liturgy as such; they resemble baroque altars in a gothic church. Classic liturgy knows but one Christ: the King, radiant, majestic, and divine.
With an ever-growing desire, all Advent awaits the "coming King"; in the chants of the breviary we find repeated again and again the two expressions "King" and "is coming." On Christmas the Church would greet, not the Child of Bethlehem, but the Rex Pacificus "the King of peace gloriously reigning." Within a fortnight, there follows a feast which belongs to the greatest of the feasts of the Church year -- the Epiphany. As in ancient times oriental monarchs visited their principalities (theophany), so the divine King appears in His city, the Church; from its sacred precincts He casts His glance over all the world....On the final feast of the Christmas cycle, the Presentation in the Temple, holy Church meets her royal Bridegroom with virginal love: "Adorn your bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ your King!" The burden of the Christmas cycle may be summed up in these words: Christ the King establishes His Kingdom of light upon earth!
If we now consider the Easter cycle, the luster of Christ's royal dignity is indeed somewhat veiled by His sufferings; nevertheless, it is not the suffering Jesus who is present to the eyes of the Church as much as Christ the royal Hero and Warrior who upon the battlefield of Golgotha struggles with the mighty and dies in triumph. Even during Lent and Passiontide the Church acclaims her King. The act of homage on Palm Sunday is intensely stirring; singing psalms in festal procession we accompany our Savior singing: Gloria, laus et honor tibi sit, Rex Christe, "Glory, praise and honor be to Thee, Christ, O King!" It is true that on Good Friday the Church meditates upon the Man of Sorrows in agony upon the Cross, but at the same time, and perhaps more so, she beholds Him as King upon a royal throne. The hymn Vexilla Regis, "The royal banners forward go," is the more perfect expression of the spirit from which the Good Friday liturgy has arisen. Also characteristic is the verse from Psalm 95, Dicite in gentibus quia Dominus regnavit, to which the early Christians always added, a ligno, "Proclaim among the Gentiles: the Lord reigns from upon the tree of the Cross!" During Paschal time the Church is so occupied with her glorified Savior and Conqueror that kingship references become rarer; nevertheless, toward the end of the season we celebrate our King's triumph after completing the work of redemption, His royal enthronement on Ascension Thursday.
Neither in the time after Pentecost is the picture of Christ as King wholly absent from the liturgy. Corpus Christi is a royal festival: "Christ the King who rules the nations, come, let us adore" (Invit.). In the Greek Church the feast of the Transfiguration is the principal solemnity in honor of Christ's kingship, Summum Regem gloriae Christum adoremus (Invit.). Finally at the sunset of the ecclesiastical year, the Church awaits with burning desire the return of the King of Majesty.
We will overlook further considerations in favor of a glance at the daily Offices. How often do we not begin Matins with an act of royal homage: "The King of apostles, of martyrs, of confessors, of virgins come, let us adore" (Invit.). Lauds is often introduced with Dominus regnavit, "The Lord is King". Christ as King is also a first consideration at the threshold of each day; for morning after morning we renew our oath of fidelity at Prime: "To the King of ages be honor and glory." Every oration is concluded through our Mediator Christ Jesus "who lives and reigns forever." Yes, age-old liturgy beholds Christ reigning as King in His basilica (etym.: "the king's house"), upon the altar as His throne.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Things to Do:
The Solemnity of Christ the King in China
Rick Santorum and the Kingship of Christ, [Part Two]
Rick Santorum and the Kingship of Christ, (Part One)
Solemnity of Christ the King: to sum up
World biggest statue of Christ the King welcomes to Poland
The Restoration of the Reign of Christ the King (Catholic Caucus)
Cowardly Relativism, Kingly Truth
Jesus Christ is King: Thanksgiving and Advent
Reflection: Christ the King, Thanksgiving and Advent
Feast of Christ the King
Excerpts from Pope Pius XI's 'Quas Primas' (On the Kingship of Christ)
Poland erects gigantic statue of Christ the King
Christ, The King of the Universe
King of Kings and Lord of Lords [Solemnity of Christ the King]
Christ Our King! Now And Forever!
Christ the King, with images of the Interrogation of Christ by Pilate
Ruling for Christ the King
The Reign of Christ the King
QUAS PRIMAS (On the Feast of Christ the King)
Christ the King
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Solemnity)
When the Son of Man comes in his glory . . . (Matthew 25:31)
Thinking about the Second Coming of Jesus can make us feel a little fearful. We know it will be wonderful to be with Jesus in heaven forever, but we also worry about the unknown. Today, lets try to put aside this fear by imagining three scenes surrounding the Second Coming.
Scene 1: Fix your eyes on what it will be like when you see Jesus sitting upon his glorious throne with all the nations gathered around him (Matthew 25:31). Imagine what Jesus will say to this largest gathering of all time. The 2013 Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in India is currently the largest gathering, counting thirty million people. But even this pales in comparison to the potential of thirteen billion people coming together!
Scene 2: Fix your eyes on Jesus attractiveness. Pope John Paul II attracted so much attention wherever he went, simply because of his personality. He always projected a sense of joyful hope, of confidence in the Lord, and of love for the people he was with. He seemed always to make a personal, deep connection with his audience, no matter what the occasion was. Now, as attractive as he was, Pope John Paul II cannot come close to what will happen when Jesus returns. His love, his purity, and his joy will be unparalleled. This is why all the nations will gather around him.
Scene 3: Fix your eyes on the new heavens and new earth that Jesus will establish. Imagine a place where there is no need for doctors, police officers, prisons, military bases, or homeless shelters. Think of how Disneyland is called the happiest place on earth. Well, when Jesus ushers in the new creation, the magic of Disney will seem mundane and ordinary. There will be nothing but peace, joy, and contentment in the presence of the Lord.
Keep these scenes in mind all day today. Let them banish any fear of the unknown.
Jesus, I cant wait to see you!
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Psalm 23:1-3, 5-6
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
CHRIST THE KING
(A biblical reflection on the SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING [YEAR A] Sunday, 26 November 2017)
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17; Psalms: Psalm 23:1-3,5-6; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28
The Scripture Text
When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 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, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. 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; 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, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee? And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. 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; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, 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. 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? 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. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-46 RSV)
The scene in the parable in todays Gospel reading is the judgment at the end of the world. The parable begins with a reference to the Son of Man coming in His glory. The term Son of Man refers to the Messiah, the military/political leader through whom God would rule the world and establish His Kingdom. The Messiah will come in his glory at the end of the world when he will be victorious over all his enemies.
In the parable, Jesus says that the Messiah will sit upon his royal throne and all the nations will assemble before him as he separates them into two groups like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. In Palestine, the shepherd usually allowed the sheep and the goats to graze together but separated them whenever he took them home or moved them to another pasture.
The King/Messiah tells those he places on his right side that he will give them a spot in Gods Kingdom prepared for them since the beginning of the world. According to the Jewish rabbis, God created His Kingdom even before the world began and those He will judge righteous He will reward with everlasting life in this Kingdom while the wicked He will send to a place of fire reserved for the devil and his followers.
Notice that Jesus does not say judgment will be based on how well known or popular a person iss, how much money or power one has, or even where someone worships, but on how the individual responds to those who are in need. By telling us that whenever we do something for others we are really doing it for Him, Jesus identifies Himself with those who are suffering and is saying that to serve God we have to serve each other. We cannot separate our responsibilities to our neighbour from our responsibilities to God.
The parable should make us a little uncomfortable because it means we cannot sit back and expect to enter heaven simply because we believe in Jesus and go to church every Sunday. Jesus demands more from His followers. He demands we live out our faith in service to others. Unless our faith finds expression in visiting the lonely, comforting the grieving, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, we cannot expect to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
(Source: Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 116-117.)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I adore You as my King! I am thankful that You protect me, care for me, and hear me when I call You. Grant me Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life. May I dwell with You in Your Kingdom forever! Amen.
Daily Marriage Tip for November 26, 2017:
And the king will say to them in reply, Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. (Mt 25:40) Recognize Christ in your spouse and in all those that you meet. If you are struggling to serve your spouse, remember that you are [
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