Ordinary Time Cycle A

34th Sunday Homily Cycle C

34th Sunday Audio-Homily

34th Sunday Christ the King Cycle C

Take a look at the readings beforegoing on

Click this link to see the readings    http://www.usccb.org/nab/111410.shtml

 

We all have our ideas of what is a king.

 

The first reading shows David selected as king.  It is interesting that he is a sinner and at times turns from God.  But still he is a king. 

The Gospel shows us Christ as King.

The disciples were sure that the messiah would be a political king so they were shocked to learn that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die.

How could Jesus be a King?  This was certainly a different king.

This was a king who was to be abandoned by his discples and his closest friends?  He was to be rejected?  He was to die among gangster and criminals?  He was to give his life?

The answer is yes. 

This is the way to his kingdon. 

The second reading lets us know that we have been called to his kingdom and that we too will have to give up our lives (our ideas of what is right and fair and just) so that others can find the way to Christ the King. 

Imagine the way to the king and the kingdom is to share in what Jesus went through.  This is the way to the king and the way we lead others to the Kingdom-eternal life 

 

 

Download 34th Sun C

 

A Discovery For Me...No Doorknob

As many times as I have seen this painting I have always missed the fact that the doorknob is missing. 

For sure I knew Christ was knocking at my door and often I would say come in.  But how could He?  There is no doorknob.  He is waiting for me to open to Him.

His knock is calling me to have compassion, mercy, forgiveness, to all, even to the ones who don't deserve it.  I hear the knocking but how often I say I don't want to forgive.  I will not have compassion.  I will not go out of my way; let someone else do it.  I will not open my heart, my door.

Lord, help me to open to you in every situation.

 

33rd Sunday Cycle C

Click the link below to see the readings

 33rd Sunday Mass Readings  2

After looking at the readings continue on...

 

 

 

"By your endurance you will gain your lives."

This last line of today's gospel reading can give each of us hope.

Have you given up on your spiritual life?
Have you even stopped thinking about it?

Many of the people in the first reading, Malachi, having returned from exile in 450 BC, were in the same mind set. They failed to see what God had done for them.

We can see our exile, our sins, our disfunctions, our addictions and just give up. We don't want to keep looking at ourselves. It is too much work. Is that not what was going on with some of the Thessalonians that Paul was writing to?

God wants to feed us with forgiveness but we do have to work at continually looking at ourselves and that can be hard work. Or we can falsely believe that we do not sin. What a deception!

God, again today, will bring us out of our exile, our sins. That is what Christ is about, again and again, day after day.

We are to endure again and again, looking at ourselves and not being scandalized by what we see. We can so easily give up on ourselves but God does not give up on us.

"By your endurance you will gain your lives."

Courage.