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Saturday 25 November 2017

The King is Among Us


Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe 
 26 November 2017
First reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will fed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats:
                
Second reading
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule 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 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.

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
“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. 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, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 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; 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, 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.’

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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 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.’

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; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 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.’

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?’ 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.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflection
by Art B. Reyes

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ, the King of the universe. In today’s Gospel, it is told that the Son of Man will come at the end of time. The final judgment will come upon us, where the good will be rewarded and the bad will be punished. Our true identity will be exposed, stripped of our worldly possessions and obsessions.

The final judgment will be based on what we did or did not do for the Lord, and on the other hand is also based on what we did or did not do for the least of our brothers and sisters.  Let us pray that the Lord grant us wisdom to feel His presence in everyone, be rich or poor, powerful or weak. May the final judgment give us hope and not fear. May we rely not on our self understanding but on God’s mercy.

A king, as we know, is someone who is rich, lavish, and luxurious. But here is Jesus, the King of kings, who associates Himself with the leper, the sick, the lowest of the low, and the outcast. Here is the king who died in a violent death, like a criminal. And here is the king who taught us about taking care of homeless, unfortunate, thirsty, and hungry.

Jesus is King, but not the kind of king we might have imagined or expected. His kingship is hidden to some of us, but those who have faith are able to see and recognize Jesus as King. Why would a king choose to live in the hearts and souls of the poor, oppressed, and those who cry out in suffering? Because Jesus identifies Himself in them. Because He stands by their side. Our King is among the poor and the suffering.

Today's Gospel invites us to make our own judgment. May we, with eyes of faith, recognize that Jesus, the crucified One, is indeed the King and Savior of all.


Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ the King, reign supremely in my heart and in my life. Help us see and recognize You in the poorest among us. Help us to be Your voice speaking out love and acceptance. Help us to be Your feet walking beside those in need, to be Your ears to listen to their cries. Help us to be Your hands to clothe, feed and shelter them.

And when our time comes, may we welcome You not with fear, but with hope. Amen.

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