REFLECTIONS TODAY
The Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King on the closing of the liturgical calendar.
Today’s readings present to us the images of Jesus as the Shepherd-King of the Universe.
In the First Reading, God presents himself as a shepherd-king who cares for his flock, in contrast to the kings of Israel who failed in their responsibility.
Many kings have passed through the history of Israel, but only a few were faithful to the covenant with the Lord. These kings arrogated upon themselves power and riches for their own selfish interests, rather than serving the people and leading them to the Lord. Moreover, they tolerated the worship of foreign divinities like Baal and Astarte, or even abandoned themselves to idolatry. These kings were responsible for the destruction of their kingdom and the exile of the people: the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in 722 BC and of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BC.
The Second Reading presents the risen Christ as the conqueror of sin and death. He is the firstborn of the new creation, the “first fruits” of those who have died. He paves the way for all humanity. At his coming, all those who belong to him will be brought to life. At the end, he will hand everything to God the Father.
The Gospel presents Jesus’ parable of the Judgment of the Nations (the Last Judgment). He will come as the glorious Son of Man, and all nations will be assembled before this King and Judge. The criterion of judgment is simple yet surprising: the love shown to the neighbor, especially the lowly, the poor, and the marginalized.
And here is the revelation: the good deed done to these people is done to the King himself. He has taken the face of the lowly, and he is loved and served in them. On the other hand, failure or omission to do this to the poor is failure or omission to do to him and will merit punishment. When we appear before the King, we would not be asked about our accomplishments and achievements in life. “In the evening of life,” says St. John of the Cross, “we will be judged on love alone.” St. Teresa of Kolkata echoes St. John and the Gospel: “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’ ”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2023,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.