The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Lectionary: 160

Reading 1

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.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

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

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.

Alleluia

Mk 11:9, 10

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

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."

 

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

 

 

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 157

Reading 1

Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (cf. 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Reading 2

1 Thes 5:1-6

Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,
you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief at night.
When people are saying, "Peace and security, "
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.

Alleluia

Jn 15:4a, 5b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord.
Whoever remains in me bears much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

 

 

Mt 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.

"After a long time
the master of those servants came back
and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents came forward
bringing the additional five.
He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
'Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

 

 

 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

All of us have been given great responsibilities by God. These come in the form of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Being here, right now, is a testament to that fact. It is very easy to ignore these responsibilities, since we all have a seemingly endless list of other responsibilities that take on a life of their own, based upon a level of importance assigned to them by ourselves and further categorized by the demands set upon us by other people. We all have these. It is a part of life. If fact, those who ignore these and instead focus on pursuits that take time away from these things, are destined for a lot of misery. Responsibilities give us purpose. Responsibilities give us drive and strength. They validate our person-hood and help us define who we are. Without them, we are in danger of becoming listless and unfulfilled. We lose our purpose. Because of the imperfections present in all of us and our propensity to be subject to the allures of the world, the level of importance that we assign to these responsibilities is constantly in danger of being defective and incorrect. Often, the great responsibilities given to us by God are completely forgotten. These responsibilities lie in what we know about our faith and of Jesus Christ. We are expected first and foremost to act upon what we know, having it influence our conduct, all our thoughts and actions. Secondly, we are then expected to pass it along to everyone that we interact with. As Christians, no one is exempt from these responsibilities. As Jesus said, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” It does not matter how little or how much we know, it matters how much we apply it: to ourselves and to other people.

 

What we receive is freely given to us, but we do need to put in the effort into being exposed to it. We then must put more effort into keeping ourselves open to the transformative experience that undoubtably will happen when we embrace these things. This is what our relationship with God is all about. He acts. We are then acquired to react in these ways. If we don’t, only pain and misery will follow; a punishment of sorts which we bring upon ourselves. When we react, we are rewarded physically, mentally, and spiritually. We also become closer to that person that God intended us to be. The Apostle Paul reminds us today that we are children of the light. We all are in possession of least part of God’s Divine Revelation. There are no excuses to be caught off-guard and we are far beyond claiming that we were unaware of proper conduct and our Christian Duty. All of us have at least a foundation to build upon. The question that remains is what do we want to build on it? Something has to be put there. This takes planning, time, and effort. The more that we put there, the more we and all those in our lives benefit from it. If we choose not to build, then there will be consequences. We have been warned.

 

The other day, I was involved in a discussion about the Living Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The emphasis was on how we as Christians make up that body with each adding our own contributions based on what gifts we are blessed with. Each of us are an intricate part. No one is more important than the other. All are important and vital to the realization of Jesus Christ and the building up of His kingdom. These functions are grounded in the responsibilities we are given and can change based upon our knowledge, understanding, and the pursuit of wisdom. We, who are created out of love to love and be loved, can experience that same love which brought us into being by knowing more. Thus, when we know more, we can experience love more. As the Apostle John said, “everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” Knowing brings gifts from God and, with these gifts, come great responsibilities. It is through these responsibilities and the pursuit thereof, that we find true joy and a life with God.

 

Deacon Tom