The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Lectionary: 160
Reading 1
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.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) The Lord
is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2
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.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Who do we serve? This is not a particularly difficult question, but still one that needs to be answered. The answer that we give reflects what our priorities are; what things are important to us. A good servant does the bidding of the master and always puts the master’s needs and wants before his or her own. The master, if he is good, ensures that the servants are taken care of. It is a two-fold relationship and one that ultimately benefits all parties involved. When the roles of each are well-defined and there is a mutual understanding of the expectations of everyone, a fulfilling relationship is the result. Jesus reminds us that, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other.” There can be only one master of our thoughts, actions, and feelings. We are each an individual who have individual thoughts, needs, and desires. What these are focused on reveals who is our true master. We each have a choice regarding who we serve. We may say or think one thing, but what we do will show the truth regarding whom we serve. Today, we have an opportunity to recommit to our relationship the God and to state unequivocally who our master and our king is: Jesus Christ. Recommitting to this is not only recognizing this in our hearts, but also putting our thoughts and words into action.
God tells us continuously how His role is being fulfilled. He never stops doing this. He is omnipresent. He is everywhere. All His creation permeates with His presence, all the while reacting to it. There is a constant flow towards the perfect good, which we are drawn to, but given the option to proceed in that direction. That choice, that crossroad, is where we encounter the two masters. There is one who loves us completely, offering comfort, protection, and healing. The other offers us false promises, instant gratification, self-destruction, and ultimately death. One is of the spirit, while the other is of the flesh. One offers life, while the other offers all things that come to an end with death. The prophet Ezekiel describes how we are being tended to. Jesus is our shepherd, and He is amongst us. He offers us protection, guidance, nourishment, and hope. If we listen to His voice, then we can react to what is being said. This will bring about fulfillment and joy. Our master will not steer us wrong. If we find ourselves lost and alone, we only need to call, and He will come to us. He never turns away. We are the ones who undoubtably wander off as all sheep occasionally do. That is where the offer of hope comes in: we call, and He will respond in our time of need.
As servants, how do we then serve the master? If we indeed believe that Jesus Christ is our king, then we must listen to His words and be open to His commands. These are simple, serving as a blueprint to our conduct, and come naturally to us if indeed there is no conflict to whom we profess our allegiance to. Today, in the Gospel reading, we are given what is known as The Corporal Works of Mercy: feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the incarcerated, and bury the dead. These should come as a reaction to our servitude to Jesus and a natural inclination to The Holy Spirit moving within us. The thought of doing these should be ever-present and something that we want to do. When we embrace our servitude, these things become a way of life. Before these physical actions comes the thought, which is guided by the spirit. Where the spirit is focused on is where we will find our master. If our master is truly Jesus Christ, then these actions will be at the central core of our lives. This is where we also find the Spiritual Works of Mercy: instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinner, bear wrongdoings, forgive offenses, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead. Being in servitude to Jesus, enflames the spirit which then brings the mind and body into a willful compliance.
In a society where adulation of the self and satisfying ones needs and wants above that of all other things is emphasized, what Jesus presents is entirely opposite. The things that He is offering and asking for are a secondary focus in the world instead of a primary one. This is a good thing, because the picture is all the clearer: there is a life with Jesus and a life without Jesus. The consequences of each cannot be clearer. We can either find ourselves living in a world removed and separated from its guidance or we can be overcome by it. We can be a part of the solution to everything that is wrong in society, or we can be contributors to its destruction. Who do we want to owe our allegiance to? Who do we want to serve?
The fact that we have a choice is a beautiful thing. Jesus does not want to force anything on us. He wants us to make a choice based on what we want to do. The surrendering of our will over to Jesus becomes an independent act that leads to freedom. It is through servitude to Jesus Christ that we achieve what every person longs for the most: the breaking of the chains of oppression and subjugation. Jesus Christ have sovereignty over all of God’s creation until all His enemies are put beneath His feet. We are invited to follow Him and to listen to Him. This is an opportunity to put our words into action and live a life in the sunlight of the spirit. It also gives us the chance to live our lives to the fullest with Him as its guiding force.
Deacon Tom
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