The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
23 NOV 2014
Lectionary: 160

Instituted by Pius XI in 1926, this feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of October to foster the awareness of Christ’s dominion over all people and to establish peace among nations. After Vatican Council II the feast was transferred to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, the Sunday before Advent, on which the human race is consecrated to the Sacred Heart through the Litany of the Sacred Heart and a prayer recited before the Blessed Sacrament.

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.


(Christ Separates Sheep From Goats, ca. 500 A.D. mosaic from Ravenna, Italy, the Church of Appolinare Nuovo)

Responsorial Psalm PS 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

R/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.


(The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, 1541)

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."

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46

~This Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year; next Sunday begins Advent, the penitential season of waiting and expectation.

~Jesus’ three preceding parables about being prepared (Matthew 24: 42-51; 25:1-13; 25:14-30) are completed by his announcement of the Final Judgment at the end of time when he will sit on his throne and judge the nations, that is, all men (see Ezekiel 34:17-20; Daniel 7:9-14; John 5:25-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Revelation 20:11-15)..

~Christ identifies himself with those in need and all are judged and rewarded by him by how they ministered to him through them (Matthew 16:16-27; Romans 2:6-11). Faith alone is not the basis—in fact faith is not mentioned here or in the preceding parables.

~Jesus himself also makes it clear that both heaven and hell are very real—and eternal.

QUESTIONS:

+In the 1st Reading, the Lord is depicted as a Good Shepherd who tends the weak among his flock. He is also portrayed, however, as a just judge. Upon what is his judgment based (see Ezekiel 34:17-24)?

+In the 2nd Reading, St. Paul describes how he and his fellow evangelists have spent themselves in the service of the Gospel. What, surprisingly, is his own response to this? Would that be your reaction in a similar situation?

+List the six actions Jesus will use as a basis of judgment. What kinds of acts are these? For whom are they done now and ultimately (verse 40)? How do they benefit the doer?

+How are those who don’t do the acts and those that do them similar? Different?

+In this reading and those of the last few weeks, how were Jesus and his opponents different in actions and attitudes? Is the judgment note of these readings consistent with your view of Jesus? Why or why not?

+What do these readings teach about Christian responsibility? Who are “these least brothers of mine”?

+When have you been hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick or imprisoned, and someone reached out to you? How did it feel?

+In the six areas noted by Jesus, where do you feel yourself serving most naturally? In which areas do you have the most trouble reaching out?
(courtesy of Scripture Study for Catholics)

Bible Study--Solemnity of Christ the King--Cycle A
(courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune, MS, Bible & Faith Stdies)


"We have, I admit, a rigorous account to give of our sins; but who will be our judge?  The Father...has given all judgment to the Son.  Let us be comforted: the eternal Father has placed our cause in the hands of our Redeemer Himself.  St. Paul encourages us, saying, ‘Who is [the judge] who is to condemn us?  It is Jesus Christ, who died...who indeed intercedes for us’ (Romans 8:34).  It is the Savior Himself, who, in order that He should not condemn us to eternal death, has condemned Himself to death for our sake, and who, not content with this, still continues to intercede for us in Heaven with God His Father."             --St. Alphonsus Liguori

soldiers and spirituality:
Christ The King: Duty and Delight

Thanks op and God Bless

You're very much welcome, artman.

Walk with God!

Wonderful selections!
Thanks <><W><>

Thank you BNA for the beautiful posts and pictures.

My God Father was a sheep rancher in WY.  We end the Church year with the image of a Humble Shepherd yet God and King!

And we begin the new Church year with a LAMB.



Sheep are defenseless creatures for the most part. They are not the smartest animals and without constant watching and guiding they are subject to getting lost, being injured or killed by predators. It doesn't take much

to loose one and it takes everything to keep them safe.



I thought about that one day in the context of the Crucifixion. How stupid and easily lost we are! Christ is always watching us.

We only are giving Him One day to celebrate the fact that he is KING.

Doesn't it seem backwards?

God Bless you all.



Wait and watch for Shepherds again. They will be following a beautiful Lamb.... so unexpected!!!! I can't wait!!

WOW, angelfire! What a beautiful testimony and witness!

You are truly walking with God! You are living "The Word."

We all ENVY you!!!

Thank you oh so much for your posts.

<><
BNA

All good points.

OP, the copy of "The Last Judgement" is very appropriate for obvious reasons. I have to say it was even more stunning in person.

As for this week, we did not get a homily from my "favorite" priest Saturday night. He was almost 10 mins. late starting Mass, and when the time came for the homily he said something to the effect of "I had a great homily ready for you tonight touching on the major thrust of these readings - take care of the poor and I will take care of you in the end - but I just had my world rocked..." Turns out one of our parishoners, a young lady of about 20, shot herself in the head Friday and had just been found about 15 minutes before Mass was supposed to start. In a way, it was a sobering reminder - in the end we all die and Jesus will be there waiting for us regardless the outcome, but there WILL be a judgement so you need to be "right".

 I wouldn't envy me much. The path I traveled to get here hasn't always been pretty or easy.

embarrassed.

But glad I can share the life experience. Humbled.

I saw this and had to offer prayers for your priest the family and the parish.




We lost a young man just three weeks ago in our parish as well. The pain of and loss of such promise so young is not measurable in words but it will be felt in grief forever.




I can tell you from experience and share this:  The beautiful young lady, who saw no other way, is completely healed of her suffering. This kind of darkness is an illness like cancer. Science is understanding more and more that is physiological events of depression. God the Father now has His beloved daughter in his loving and caring arms and she is safe.
There is no understanding a death like this. You cannot make sense out of the senseless.
Her sad heart sends a profound message about the  Kingdom of God.  Heaven is not a place but a state of being. Heaven is being in the presence and perfection of God.It is all we should ever want.




I have read that hell is the absence of God. It's more than that... it's the absence of all HOPE forever. In all other states of being we always have hope. Our life on earth and faith is a sign of hope and one day being in the presence of God. In purgatory, we hope  so we can be with our Christ!  But  those who are condemned... that is the unquenchable fire... you are devoid of all HOPE of ever being in the presence of God.
Young people who take  their lives this way don't usually have the absolute knowledge of God and they aren't able to be rationalize  faith or their lives. Most of us cannot imagine a place that dark. This girl was living in hell and had no hope.




It's not the same sin that Judas committed. All along Judas's action were devoid of God first, and when it was too late, he chose to again know more than God. That is the sin of Judas. Not that he took his life but that he took the place of God. He chose this rather than allowing God to forgive. It wasn't hope he lost that day.









God be with you.

 

Thank you. I didn't know her that well, she spent some time working in the nursery and helping with some of the younger CCD classes so my youngest knew her. Apparently she suffered from some pretty bad depression for the last several years. Her birthday was the 11th, and facebook showed her "in a relationship." Over the next few days, her status went to "single" and she posted only a couple of times, then nothing. I'm sure she had more problems than any of us outside her family knew of.