St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Theme:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.” (Matthew 25:31-33).
It is important to have a mastery over the things that are part of ourselves. It will not be pleasant
if we allow our life to be tossed always by the wind of events. It is necessary we keep our lives
under control with the grace of the Almighty.
This weekend, we celebrate someone who kept the things in his life under control. That person is
no other than Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. We celebrate Christ the King of the
Universe this weekend because this week is the last and the thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary
Time of the liturgical calendar. Next week, we will start a new liturgical calendar with Advent.
This week, we celebrate Christ the King to proclaim that Christ is the King of this liturgical year
that is coming to completion. We celebrate Christ the King to acclaim Jesus Christ as the one
who has control over time, space, events, people and resources of our liturgical year. We
celebrate Christ the King to acclaim that Jesus Christ the King of ultimate time, universe and
people:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.” (Matthew 25:31-33).
The celebration of Christ the King of the Universe summons us to be aware that all the resources,
the time, and the events God has put in our lives are the opportunities for us to ensure Christ is
the King of those situations, simple and modest though they might be:
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand,
‘Come, you that 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 something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked, and you gave me clothing,
I was sick, and you took care of me,
I was in prison, and you visited me.’
‘Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you,
or naked and gave you clothing?
And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison
and visited you?’
And the king will answer them,
‘Truly I tell you,
just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40)
Christ the King evaluates and assesses humanizing works and efforts on grounds of basic human
needs such as offering water, food, shelter, clothing, and visit to someone. These criteria for
assessment of actions are part of corporal works of mercy which are necessary for human basic
survival and life. Christ the king does not ask for extraordinary humanizing works. He asks for
simple daily works that go a long way to sustain basic life.
The celebration of Christ the King of the Universe is to proclaim that Jesus Christ will return at
the end of time to submit the universe under his rule and authority:
“for as all die in Adam,
so all will be made alive in Christ.
But each in his own order:
Christ the first fruits,
then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
Then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father,
after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power.
For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When all things are subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one
who put all things in subjection under him,
so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15.22-26, 28)
We celebrate Christ the King to proclaim that God himself is the model for caring because he is
the shepherd who provides the basic things and resources for his people:
“Thus says the Lord God:
‘I myself will search for my sheep,
and will seek them out.
As shepherds seek out their flocks
when they are among their scattered sheep,
so I will seek out my sheep.
I will rescue them from all the places
to which they have been scattered
on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep,
and I will make them lie down,’
says the Lord God.
‘I will seek the lost,
and I will bring back the strayed,
and I will bind up the injured,
and I will strengthen the weak,
but the fat and the strong I will destroy.
I will feed my sheep with justice.’” (Ezekiel 34.11-12, 15-16)
When we celebrate Christ the King of the Universe 2020, what shall we give to the world so that
through us God might be caring to the hungry, thirsty, prisoners, strangers, homeless, and sick?
What shall we do to complete the current liturgical year to allow Jesus Christ to rule over the
universe with his goodness?