34 Sunday of the Year, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: 22 November, 2020)

May God bestow on us in today's Eucharistic celebration, the graces to eschew our individual selfishness and then realise that we need to show love to those who seems least important, as we hope to join the eternal king in his glory.

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Happy Solemnity of Christ the King! Happy Sunday!

 

                                                       DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Ezekiel 34, 11-12.15-17; 1 Cor. 15, 20-26.28; Matthew 25, 31-46: 34 Sunday of the Year, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: 22 November, 2020)

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King of the universe. In Christ the whole world will find its fullness, on the part of men, he deserves everybody’s obedience. Even though, he is owed obedience allegiance, he is a king who cares about the good of all. The first reading, taken from the prophet Ezekiel, presents God as a shepherd who goes in search of his sheep and takes care of them, but also shows him as a judge who will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. The Gospel takes up and deepens these perspectives. In the second reading, taken from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul says: Christ must reign until he has placed all enemies under his feet.

The Gospel opens with a grandiose vision. Jesus is certain of his authority, and power, because he says: When the Son of man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. This is a solemn introduction. The Son of man, who was humbled in his earthly existence, but who in reality is the Son of God and has right over the highest glory, comes in his glory with all his angels, because his is a heavenly, divine glory. He sits on the throne of his glory. We can contemplate this scene. After suffering the Passion, Jesus was glorified and invited to sit at the right hand of the Father. The psalmist says: 

The Lord's oracle to my Lord:" Sit at my right hand (Psalm 110, 1; Matt 22, 42-45). Christ now sits at the right of the Father, as we recite in the Creed. This power of the glorious Christ manifests itself in his authority to bring about the Last Judgment, which puts an end to all human history. All the peoples are gathered before him, and here again we have a universal vision. Jesus exercises his authority by separating one from the other, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. But what follows shows that Jesus puts his power at the service of the humblest, the most suffering and the needy. And this is the revelation of the kingdom of Christ. Jesus identifies himself with all those who are in need, who suffer, and those in difficulties of life, to also encourage us to pay attention and be dedicated to all these people. The power of Christ therefore, should not be conceived as an oppressive power, but as a power of service. It is a truly extraordinary fact that the glorious king identifies himself with the most humble and needy people. The king said to those on his right: Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Again in this solemn phrase, all the authority of Jesus is manifested. Then comes the most surprising thing. Jesus says: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you dressed me, sick and you visited me, imprisoned and you came to see me. The righteous were surprised, they do not remember haven been this generous to Jesus, having met him in such situations of need, and then they ask: Lord, when have we ever seen you hungry and given you to eat, thirsty and have given you to drink? Jesus' answer is simple: Every time you did these things to one of these least of my brothers, you did it to me. Thus he shows his great goodness, and attention to all people who are in difficulty.

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In the first reading God, through the prophet Ezekiel, promises to look for his sheep, and take care of them:  I, myself will lead my sheep to pasture and I will make them rest. In this way, all his goodness is manifested. This goodness, which was promised, has become a reality with the coming of Jesus and by identifying himself with the people who are in difficulty and in need. Again through Ezekiel God promises: I will go in search of the lost sheep and I will bring back the lost one to the fold; I will bandage that wound and heal the sick one, I will take care of the fat and the strong. Jesus fulfills God’s promise by being concerned for the smallest, weakest and most despised people. He says Whenever you did these things to one of these least of my brothers, you did it to me. 

Then we witness, in the Gospel, the other part of the Judgment wrought by the king: Go away from me, cursed ones, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Because I was hungry and you did not give me to eat. Also in this case the men are surprised and say: Lord, when have we ever seen you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and we did not assist you?." But the king will answer: Truly I say to you, Whenever you did not do these things to one of these little brothers of mine, you did not do it to me. At the end of the world, we will be judged on love, the love for Jesus manifested in his brothers and sisters, who are all human persons. The kingdom of Jesus is a kingdom of love, a kingdom that wants to spread love everywhere: effective love, not sentimental or superficial love; the love that truly puts itself at the service of people in need; the love which in every way transforms the world thanks to these initiatives of generous service.

In the second reading Paul says: He must reign until he has placed all enemies under his feet. The main enemy is human selfishness, which is opposed to Christ's reign of love. And Christ acts continuously, in human history, to free us from selfishness and fill us with love. He truly reigns in hearts only when they are freed from selfishness and live in effective love, a love that drives us to serve the most needy. The reign of Christ will also manifest itself with his definitive victory over death. Paul affirms: The last enemy to be annihilated will be death. The victory over death has already been achieved with his personal resurrection. But the resurrection of Christ is, as Paul says (cf. 1 Cor. 15,20), the first fruits, the first step, which opens the way to the universal resurrection. This will reveal Christ's full victory over death. And when everything has been subjected to him, he too, the Son, will be subjected to the One who subjected everything to him. Christ does not want the kingdom for himself, but for the glory of the Father. He is not greedy for power, but eager to give his life and spread love for the glory of God the Father. Thus, by means of this propagation of love, God will be all in all. God's plan will be completed; thanks to the action of the glorious Christ. May we therefore, on this solemnity of Christ the King declare our allegiance to him, first of all, by fighting our individual selfishness and showing authentic love and hearty service to many of our needy neighbours. +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by Chukwubike OC)