Sunday - November 25, 2018
It is not a good thing to load ourselves with many spiritual exercises;
it is better to undertake a little, and go on with it:
for if the devil can persuade us to omit an exercise once,
he will easily get us to omit it the second time,
and the third, until at last all our pious practices will melt away.
-- Saint philip neri
November 25, 2018
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Lectionary: 161
Reading 1DN 7:13-14
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
Responsorial PsalmPS 93:1, 1-2, 5
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
Reading 2RV 1:5-8
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."
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.
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."
AlleluiaMK 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.
GospelJN 18:33B-37
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
******************************
The King of Reality
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/90337196-crop-56a107f75f9b58eba4b6fa7c.jpg)
When the question of Christ's kingship comes up in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus redirects us to the true meaning of divine kingship. Without denying that he is the king, he says: "The reason I was born into the world is to testify to the truth." He is not the king of a country or a world; he is the king of truth, the ruler of reality.
The perception of reality that we develop when Jesus is not our teacher and interpreter and revealer of truth is warped and blurred by the falsehoods and misunderstandings and counterfeits that float around in the kingdom of the world, which is ruled by Satan. But wait! The very idea that this world is ruled by Satan is a warping of the truth. It's not reality. Remember, Jesus came into the world to destroy the devil's domain and to bring all of creation into his kingdom. Those in this world who accept Christ's kingship listen to his voice and live in that truth.
When we sin, it's because we don't fully understand the reality of the situation. Jesus is not yet fully the king of that part of our lives.
For example, think of a person who has asked you for something that you cannot afford to give. Perhaps it's the building project at church. Or the sick neighbor. Or the co-worker who doesn't have the level of faith that you have. Or the aging parent who needs more and more assistance.
Do you feel like you don't have enough to satisfy their needs? Are you so tired and downtrodden from your own burdens that you cannot take on someone else's? Well, it's our flesh nature that says we cannot enjoy doing more for others than we're already doing. This is a warped view of reality; it looks like we'll be happier if we cater to our own desires instead of taking care of someone else's need.
In true reality, a joyful lifestyle develops when we listen to the voice of Jesus, even when he says, "go the extra mile" or "be like the Good Samaritan and take a detour to minister to others". We have to trust the truth that he teaches, regardless of how little we understand it.
Understanding grows in the doing of God's will more than in the thinking about it. Joy grows as we gain the understanding that comes from seeing some of the fruits of what we've done. When we sin, it's because we cannot envision the good fruits that will come from doing things the way Christ tells us to. Under his kingship and the Holy Spirit's wisdom, we gain freedom to overcome all of our sinful tendencies.
What lies are you believing? "FEAR" is "False Evidence Appearing Real." What is fear telling you about the ways of Christ? What teachings of the Church are you unwilling to trust? What beliefs about yourself give you low self-esteem? These are all areas where Jesus is not your king. What will you do to learn and understand the truth?
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, strengthen my faith in the victory of Your endless Kingdom. I thank You, my God, because You called me to be part of it. Amen.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment