Jesus, the King of Truth!

 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of Universe 22 November 2020

 First Reading                                                            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.

Second Reading                                                   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.

 

Reflection

By: Art Reyes

 

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the King of universe. This is also the day when we as a Church, conclude our liturgical year. In today's Gospel we proclaim the great mystery of our faith. By his crucifixion, Jesus is shown to be the King and Savior of all. Christ is our King!

Many of our leaders today are very privileged, untouchable, and unjust. It is because they think that their power is endless, that they can manipulate anyone's mind. A true king leads us to truth, serves not himself but the very people who look up to him.

I recently heard a story about somebody asking an archaeologist about when they thought civilization appeared in the human race. We would think that the evidence of early civilization would be wall carvings on an explored cave or finding ancient clay pots. But the archaeologist answered that it was a broken thigh bone.

In the ancient world, a broken leg meant death. A broken leg made you easy prey, you could not hunt to get food, and you could not get to the river to drink. Somebody had to take the time to protect, feed, and tend to the injured person, nursing them back to health until they could do the tasks that they needed to do to survive by themselves. This is the first sign of civilization: someone caring for the life of another.

The social media that we are hooked into now is a platform that are full of lies, deceit, and distractions. There are people whose livelihood is to tell lies in favor of their patrons--usually the politicians who are addicted to power. The civility among us is almost extinct as we exchange hurtful words, insults, and lies to save our pride in the lost argument. We have lost the ability to interact with one another authentically. We have stopped caring for each other.

The social media may end the culture and human civilization. Or has it already? We need our God the most at this time so we can stay focused on the truth. Let us continue to faithfully listen to His voice.

Let us be reminded that there is One who is the truth. All worldly power, influences, and wealth will pass. Let us not be influences by lies by those who are in power. We owe them nothing.

Only Christ is our King! The King of Truth!

 

Prayer 

 

O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the way, the life, and the truth. Help me to live in truth, to speak it, to experience it, and to share it. Lord, You are King! Amen.