Cycle A - Year II:  

22 November 2020: Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Ezekiel 14:11-12, 15-17

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

Gospel:  Please read  Matthew 25:31-46

"Our Lord Jesus is King!"

The current liturgical year is closing this Sunday with the proclamation of the Kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates the all-embracing authority of Jesus Christ as King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega of all creation.

The Church's liturgical calendar celebrates the Feat of Christ the King on the final Sunday of Ordinary Time and the Sunday before Advent (which is the start of a new liturgical year).  This great Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 for the Universal Church in his encyclical Quas Primas, a Latin phrase which literally means "In the first".

Recall that during this concluding liturgical year, the Church uses the Gospel readings mostly from the Evangelist St. Matthew, and this Sunday's Gospel proclamation speaks of the final judgment, or the coming of the Son of Man in glory at the end of time.

The core message of the Gospel proclamation is that the story of our salvation is continuing.  So then, our salvation 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, when He comes again, seated at the right hand of the Father, to judge the living and the dead.

On the final day, we will be asked to account for what we have done, individually and collectively, of the life given to us while on earth.  And all the wealth and power we may have accumulated are meaningless, unless they served to proclaim God's kingdom here on earth. 

The guidelines that our Lord gives us for the final reckoning 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 for me;.... what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me."

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.  This is how our Lord Jesus describes the final day:

The Son of Man gathers around Him the nations of the world.  He separates people as the Shepherd does with the sheep and the goats.

Those who are at the right hand of the Judge are called Blessed of the Father.  That is, they receive the blessing which God promised to Abraham and to his descendants (Gen. 12:3).  They are to take possession of the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

Those who are on the other side of the Judge are called cursed and they are destined to go to the eternal fire prepared by the devil and his kind.

So then, Jesus is very clear about the criteria for knowing whether I am a sheep or a goat: how have I loved, how have I cared for others especially the poor, the needy and the marginalized?  This is a timely question to reflect upon, especially towards the victims of recent calamities.

So then we asked: 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 judgement day, eternal life or punishment, should have a significant impact on how we live in the present.  And so each day may be our last chance to strengthen out our life's journey in accordance with God's plan for us.  Because 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 so there is no escaping divine justice.

In sum, as the Good Shepherd, and final Judge of creation, 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, here and now.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!