Search
-
Today’s Solemnity of Christ the King always takes place on the last Sunday in Ordinary Time before the beginning of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. In our First Reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17), Ezekiel prophesies the coming of a Messiah who will live humbly as a shepherd, focusing his efforts on seeking out the lost, the straying, the injured and sick: “I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.” The shepherd promises a safe ground for pasture and rest for the weary of his flock. Above all, Ezekiel suggests the personal concern and care the Lord will show for each of his lambs: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” This passage is very much in Jesus’ mind centuries later when he evokes the same image in the Gospel that of the shepherd separating the sheep from the goats.
Our Gospel Reading today (Matthew 25:31-46) contains that “Judgment of Nations” scene from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is soon to be led out to the cross. Before he suffers his Passion, he draws our attention to his return in glory and the final judgment. With so little time left in his life, Jesus calls upon his disciples to use whatever time has been left to them, and to us, wisely and well not out of selfinterest, but rather to look after the needs of the least among us, knowing that whatsoever we do for the least of the little ones, we do for him. We serve our King in serving each other, and particularly those most in need, for Jesus identifies himself with the poorest among us.
Jesus is a King like no other. The only crown our King ever wore was made of thorns. As we conclude this season of Ordinary Time and move into Advent next Sunday, let each of us make an accounting of our lives before the coming of our King. Have we been loyal subjects? In our prayer and daily living, do we treat Christ as a sovereign over us or as a servant who exists only to do our will? It is important to always keep in mind that God is God, and we are not! It is we who must choose to conform to God’s will, and not the other way around. Let us pray with the coming of Advent that Jesus will lead us and guide us in the ways of service, helping us to show our love for God by how we love and serve one another, especially the least among us.
