Nov 22 2020 Reflection

Sunday 22 November 2020

First Reading: EZ 34:11-12, 15-17
Responsorial Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
PS 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
Second Reading: 1 COR 15:20-26, 28
Gospel Reading: MT 25:31-46

Today’s Note: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Gospel Reading:

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.”

Reflection:

Inherit the kingdom. (Matthew 25:34)

Today, on the feast of Christ the King, we celebrate Jesus’ sovereignty over all creation. We celebrate the fact that all things were created through him, all things are redeemed through him, and all people will be judged by him.

It’s this last point—Jesus as judge—that today’s Gospel focuses on. It tells us that as our King, Jesus has the right to set the standard by which we will be judged. Other judges exercise their office based on the existing laws of the land. But Jesus is the law of the kingdom. His life, his way, is the standard by which we will be judged.

If you want to be a judge in this world, you have to know the law intimately. Just one word in one statute can affect the entire outcome of a case. Not so with Jesus. His law is simple. We will “inherit the kingdom” based on this guiding principle: “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:34, 40). That’s the standard: mercy, generosity, and self-giving love.

It’s often said that you can’t take it with you, and there is a lot of truth to that. All our money, all our honors, all our possessions are temporary. They won’t follow us to heaven, and they can’t help us get in. But there is something we can take with us: our acts of charity. In fact, they are the very things that will open the gates of heaven to us!

Jesus will not be impressed if we have many possessions, and he will not be disappointed if we have just a few. What matters is whether we have let him soften our hearts so that we feed the hungry, forgive those who have sinned against us, and reach out to the lonely. Because his kingdom is not a kingdom of wealth and power; it is a kingdom of humility, love, and service.

“Jesus, my King and my Judge, teach me to love as you love.”