Cycle A - Year 1:

26 November 2017: Solemnity of Christ the King

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

Gospel:Please Read Matthew 25:31-46

We proclaim Jesus Christ, our King!

This Sunday the Church concludes the current liturgical year by proclaiming the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate today the all-embracing authority of Jesus Christ as King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega of all creation.

According to the Church calendar, the Feast of Christ the King is celebrated on the final Sunday of Ordinary Time and the Sunday before Advent. Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 for the universal Church, in his encyclical Quas Primas, a Latin phrase which literally means "In the first".

The Gospel reading from St. Matthew speaks of the final time: the coming of the Son of Man in glory at the end of time.

The core message of the Gospel passage is that the story of our salvation history is continuing. Thus, it did not end with the resurrection of Christ, or His ascension into heaven. It does not end at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Because our salvation ends with Christ Himself, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus describes the possible fate of the human soul at the end of time: it is either eternal life with Him or eternal punishment in hell. It will depend upon the accounting we give of the love we have shown for God and neighbor, or the lack of it, while in this present life. In other words, heaven or hell is but the crowning of the life we live on earth. And the guidelines that our Lord gives us are really simple. They begin with what we do, or fail to do, here and now: "...whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did to me.... what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." And our Lord Jesus Christ is the final Judge to whom we must render an accounting of our lives on earth at the end of time.

But then, what is the significance of the Solemnity of Christ the King in our lives today?

Well, knowing the end of the story of our salvation --meaning judgment day, eternal life or punishment-- should have a significant impact on how we live in the present. We realize that while in this world, Christ does not force His kingship on us, even when we are His subjects. He prefers that we voluntarily submit out of love for Him. But on the final judgment day, there is no second chance, and there is no escaping divine justice.

Thus, as the Good Shepherd our Lord Jesus Christ will separate the sheep from the goats according to the criterion of love and charity toward our brothers and sisters. In other words, we become true followers of Christ the King when we minister to the needs of the least in our midst.

A Blessed Feast of Christ the King to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!