Mass Reading: Sunday - 24th November 2024

First reading
Daniel 7:13-14
I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man

I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 92(93):1-2,5

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;
    the Lord has robed himself with might,
    he has girded himself with power.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The world you made firm, not to be moved;
    your throne has stood firm from of old.
    From all eternity, O Lord, you are.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

Truly your decrees are to be trusted.
    Holiness is fitting to your house,
    O Lord, until the end of time.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

________

Second reading
Apocalypse 1:5-8
Jesus Christ has made us a line of kings and priests

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mk11:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
John 18:33-37
Yes, I am a king

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 24th November 2024

 

Dn 7: 12-14; Ps 93: 1-2, 5; Rev 1: 5-8; Jn 18: 33B-37

Today is our last Sunday of Ordinary Time for this liturgical year, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.

This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, at a time when the world was experiencing a rise of secularism, materialism and individualism and an increasing denial of Christ’s existence and authority. The hope was that the establishment of this feast would accomplish three goals: that nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, that leaders and nations would see that they are required to give respect to Christ, the King of kings, and that the faithful would be strengthened and encouraged by the reminder that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.

Our First Reading, from, Daniel, predicts a time when Christ will indeed “receive dominion, glory and kingship” and “all peoples, nations, and languages will serve him in an everlasting dominion that will never be destroyed.”

The Second Reading, from Revelation, describes Christ as ruler of the kings of the earth and describes the day when He will come “amid the clouds and every eye will see him.” In the Gospel we hear the words of Christ Himself. As He is questioned by Pilate, Christ declares, “My kingdom does not belong to this world” but that He “came into the world to testify to the truth.”

This feast is needed more than ever for all people and for us especially, as Christian stewards. It reminds us of three vital truths.

First, even when it seems the world is spinning out of control, we need not fear because we have a King of kings who is very much in charge and who is loving, merciful and just.

Second, if Christ is king of all, then He is also king of me, personally. I am not “lord” of my time, talents, and treasure. He is. I am a servant of the King and a steward of His gifts to me.

Third, as His disciple, I am called to imitate my King. Christ’s kingship is characterized by humble service, by emptying Himself for the good of others,

The Scriptures tell us He went about doing good and He says of Himself, “I came not to be served but to serve.” How can I live in any other way than as a humble servant like my King?

We are on the verge of a new Church year and the holy season of Advent, and this week is an ideal time to take stock of our priorities, to see if we really are allowing Christ to reign in all aspects of our daily lives; to ask if He comes first in our schedules, our budgets, the use of our skills and talents. It’s also a great moment to celebrate! We are not only servants of Christ the King, but we are also His brothers and sisters. This should fill us with great joy.

After celebrating the Holy Eucharist, take some time to celebrate at home, too. Bake a cake, take a walk, put on some music and dance with your kids. Christ is King!

Mass Reflection: Sunday, 22nd November 2020

EZ 34:11-12, 15-17; PS 23:1-3, 5-6; 1 COR 15:20-26, 28; MT 25:31-46

Today we come to the end of the liturgical year, celebrating the magnificent feast of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Our readings provide contrasting images of this King of ours — He has authority over all, and yet, He is humble and tender in His care for us, especially the most vulnerable. How can we properly honor and love such a King? By offering Him our very lives through the stewardship way of life.

Our First Reading, from Ezekiel, describes our Lord as a tender shepherd who knows his flock intimately and actively seeks to heal and save us. “Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I myself will pasture my sheep; 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.” Such love is impossible to fully comprehend. All we can do is marvel at the greatness of our God and resolve to thank Him by giving Him the very best of ourselves — our time, our talents, our treasure — and by imitating His love as best we can.

The Second Reading demonstrates that humble as He is, Jesus Christ is indeed King of all, having authority over all, both individuals and nations, both the material world and the spiritual world. He will restore all things and all people to proper order “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.” As intimately as we are called to love our King, so too, must we revere and respect His authority over us. We must be ever mindful that everything we have, every breath we take, is a gift from this all-powerful King. In justice, then, we must give Him His due. 

What is it that He expects from us? The Gospel passage from Matthew shows us. The passage begins with Christ’s own description of His Second Coming, “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.” Then the moment of judgment will come. Some will be invited into the Kingdom of Heaven — the others to eternal punishment. 

This judgment will be based not on how influential we became in society, how high we climbed the corporate ladder, nor any “worldly” achievements, in fact. Rather our judgment will be based on how we treated the last of those around us, whom Jesus calls His brothers. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” To make His point very clear, Jesus gives specifics — feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, showing hospitality to the stranger, caring for the ill and imprisoned. These are the priorities of our King. And these must be our priorities, too.

The more deeply we embrace the stewardship way of life, the more closely our priorities will align with His. This way of life prepares us well for our judgment day and helps us to live in imitation of our King right now.