On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ. His kingship is anticipated in the anointing of David as the king of Israel. In today’s first reading at Mass from 2 Samuel, we hear the Lord God say to David, “You shall shepherd my people Israel.” And, in the Gospel passage from Luke, we hear the Jewish rulers, who have just succeeded in having Jesus crucified, taunt him with “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” Rather than saving himself, however, our crucified Lord assures the thief crucified with him, “today you will be with me in Paradise.” These images of a king are very different from those that the secular world presents to us and we are grateful to God for sending us a king who will shepherd us through this life and who has offered his life for us! Of course, as we hear in John’s Gospel, when Pilate asks Jesus if he is “the King of the Jews,” Jesus responds, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.”
In all these readings, we are called to acknowledge our Lord’s kingship over us. As his followers, we believe that our kingdom is not here but with our Lord and God in heaven. And so, we live in this world as subjects to our Lord and not subject to the gods of this world. As we come to the end of the liturgical year – next Sunday is already the first Sunday of Advent – let us reflect on this truth and reflect it in our lives. As we hear in the Gospel of Matthew, “When the Son of Man comes in glory, he will sit upon his glorious throne and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates sheep from the goats.” Let us live lives worthy to be among the sheep of his flock!
On this, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, let us reflect seriously on the end of our lives and rededicate ourselves preparing ourselves for that time when our Lord, the Good Shepherd, separates us like a shepherd separates his flock so that we will be among the sheep on his right and so enter into his heavenly sheepfold!
On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ. His kingship is anticipated in the anointing of David as the king of Israel. In today’s first reading at Mass from 2 Samuel, we hear the Lord God say to David, “You shall shepherd my people Israel.” And, in the Gospel passage from Luke, we hear the Jewish rulers, who have just succeeded in having Jesus crucified, taunt him with “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” Rather than saving himself, however, our crucified Lord assures the thief crucified with him, “today you will be with me in Paradise.” These images of a king are very different from those that the secular world presents to us and we are grateful to God for sending us a king who will shepherd us through this life and who has offered his life for us! Of course, as we hear in John’s Gospel, when Pilate asks Jesus if he is “the King of the Jews,” Jesus responds, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.”
In all these readings, we are called to acknowledge our Lord’s kingship over us. As his followers, we believe that our kingdom is not here but with our Lord and God in heaven. And so, we live in this world as subjects to our Lord and not subject to the gods of this world. As we come to the end of the liturgical year – next Sunday is already the first Sunday of Advent – let us reflect on this truth and reflect it in our lives. As we hear in the Gospel of Matthew, “When the Son of Man comes in glory, he will sit upon his glorious throne and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates sheep from the goats.” Let us live lives worthy to be among the sheep of his flock!
On this, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, let us reflect seriously on the end of our lives and rededicate ourselves preparing ourselves for that time when our Lord, the Good Shepherd, separates us like a shepherd separates his flock so that we will be among the sheep on his right and so enter into his heavenly sheepfold!