Cycle B - Year I:  

21 November 2021: Solemnity of our Lord Jesus, King of the Universe 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Daniel 7:13-14

Second Reading:   Revelation 1:5-8

Gospel:  Please Read  John 18:33-37 

Jesus, the King of the Universe!

We have come to the end of the liturgical year this Sunday with the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  The liturgical year always ends with the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King.

On this particular day we hail Jesus Christ as Lord and King.  And this is rightly so because indeed Jesus is the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega (the beginning and the end) of all creation.  We will encounter Him in person, at the end of our journey, to render an account of our own life here on earth.

Now we ask, by what right does Jesus claim these kingly titles?  Well, Jesus indeed was born of David's royal line.  But as He tells Pontius Pilate in the Gospel narrative, our Lord's kingdom is not of this world.  For He did not come as a political leader ruling His subjects with force.  Rather, our Lord Jesus came as Redeemer and Savior, seeking instead to rule His followers with truth and love.

For readers in a Western society where democratic rule is valued and promoted, the whole notion of kingship or monarchy poses some difficulty,  We need to put the exchange between Jesus and Pilate into the political context of Roman occupied Judaea of the first century.

Jesus' entire mission on earth is to proclaim the kingdom of God, the kingdom of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.  This kingdom is God's final aim and purpose in everything He has done from the beginning.  It is His final act of liberation and salvation. Jesus speaks of this kingdom as a future reality, but a reality that is mysteriously already present in His being, His actions and words, and His personal destiny.

Going back to the Gospel narrative, the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate is one of the most dramatic moments in the New Testament.  In St. John's poignant trial scene of Jesus before Pilate, we see a great contrast between power and powerlessness.  As we reflect on the Gospel reading, it is somewhat ironic that even as we proclaim the glorious image of our heavenly King, the evangelist St. John presents to us the image of a suffering Christ, bloodied and beaten, crowned with thorns, and His hands tied like a criminal.

And yet this is the central point of the Gospel message for this Sunday.  With all the power at His disposal, both in heaven and here on earth, our Christ the King, and Lord of lords, could have commanded the angels and all His followers here on earth to deliver Him from the cross.  But He truly submits to the Father's will. And such is the humility of our King, who came to serve as the ransom for our souls, accepted death as the wages for our sins.

In rising again, Jesus conquered sin and death, establishing His power and authority.  He is hailed as Lord and King because all authority in heaven and earth is His and all things rightly belong to Him. Yet He chooses to lay claim to our obedience, our hearts and minds, with love rather than force.

When Jesus appears before us, will we cling to our sin and denial, washing our hands of deliverance like what Pilate did? Or will we open our hearts to the Truth that is Jesus Christ?

May our celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King be an inspiration, a challenge, to those aspiring to be our leaders.  They should instead serve  with humility and lead through service.

Let us pray:  Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, we entrust the Church, our nation, all humanity, and the entire cosmos to Your Lordship, asking You to pour out Your mercy upon us. Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 

 Cycle B - Year I:

14 November 2021: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading: Daniel 12:1-3

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

Gospel: Please Read Mark 13:24-32

"Getting ready and waiting in hope!"

The Church liturgical year draws to a close and today is the Thirty-third or last Sunday in Ordinary Time. The focus of the liturgy is on the end story of salvation. So the core message of this Sunday's Gospel proclamation is about interrelated events: the end of the world, the second coming of Christ, the fathering of the saved and the condemnation of the damned.

The evangelist St, Mark describes the events at the end of time using apocalyptic language, like "the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken." (Mk 13:24-25)

What is meant by the term "apocalyptic"? It is a special style of writing which uses wild images and vivid symbols in order to convey realities beyond our present human experience. The images described are not necessarily to be taken literally, but still they are relevant as they point to deeper truths.

Let us reflect on these truths that these messages on the end of time are teaching us today.

We know and believe that the world as we know and experience it will definitely end someday because God has a bigger purpose for humanity. We are not meant only for this world, and God has something much greater for us. So that whatever blessings we enjoy now in this world are only a prelude or foretaste of the blessings that the Father has in store for us in the life to come. And so also, our sufferings and trials we experience in this world are but temporary.

Our next reflection is the reality that our Lord Jesus Christ will come back the second time. St. Mark describes Jesus' second coming as "with great power and glory". At that time there will be no question who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus' kingdom will be brought to completion at His second coming, and so no one will ever wonder about our Lord's identity.

Then peoples of every time and place will be gathered together for final judgment. Our Lord Jesus will invite the redeemed to share in the very life that He Himself shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit. It will be a great and glorious day for Jesus' faithful followers.

But woe to those who chose until the very last moment of their earthly existence to refuse God's offer of mercy, love and new life. The Lord will take action against evildoers as well.

Now, Jesus explicitly warns His disciples that they shall not know the day or the time of the end of our world. Neither anyone of us knows. "....neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father." (Mk 13:32) Instead, Jesus urged His followers to live and act as though judgment was always near. The timing, clearly, was not as important as the preparation.

So there is a time for judgement, in other words, and a time for trust and faith. Today we have been told the entire story, and we know that the Lord will prevail in the end. What matter is it of the time? We know the what, the where, and the why. So then knowing this we need to exercise our own judgment and discretion and frame our lives accordingly.

It's the Lord Himself who tells us today about our final destiny. Let us listen and believe. For the Lord Himself said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Mk 13:31)

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!