Christ the King -Cycle C -34th Sunday Ordinary Time
11/20/2019
November 24, 2019
The last Sunday of the Church calendar
in Ordinary Time
Advent Cycle A begins next Sunday, December 1st
As background to the first reading, remember that Saul was the first king of the Jews, but because he had not followed the laws of God, his kingship would not pass on to his ancestors. At Saul's death, David was chosen by the people to replace him, and they anointed him as king over all of Israel and that kingship would be passed on to his future generations.
It is interesting that David was a sinner and at times turned from the laws of God. Yet, imperfect as he was, he was still given the kingship which would be passed on to his ancestors, and ultimately to Jesus.
The Gospel shows us Christ as universal King, but in a way that can shock us, as it did his first disciples. They were sure that the messiah would be a political king, so they could not believe that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die.
We see that Jesus is a different type of king from our usual image of what a king is. In all the folk tales we have heard since our childhood, a king is popular, rich, powerful, has beautiful robes, a golden crown, etc.
Now we are given a different picture of Jesus as king, with the sign hanging over his head, King of the Jews.
This was a king who was to be abandoned by his disciples and his closest friends. He was to be rejected. He was poor materially. He was to die among gangsters and criminals.
Could this possibly be a king?
The answer is Yes.
And He has established his Kingdom which all of us are called by our Baptism to be a part, in this life and in the eternal life to come.
We too, like Jesus our King, will face rejections, difficulties, sufferings, betrayals, etc. These are a part of our journey to the eternal kingdom.
The second reading lets us know that we too, as was the Christian community of the Colossians, were called to his kingdom. Paul writes his letter to them, to give them courage to continue in spite of all the difficulties, betrayals, sufferings, etc. they were experiencing. We too need that reminder to continue our journey in spite of all the problems that can occur. At our Baptism, we were called by God to be a part of his kingdom; we were anointed then to be prophet, priest, and KING. We are a part of the kingship of Christ.
Imagine, the way to the king and the kingdom is to share in what Jesus went through, and also it is the way we lead others to the king and his eternal Kingdom.
We are...
Jesus Christ is King
We see His great mercy as He tells the repentant criminal crucified with Him, that he will soon be in the kingdom of God.
and
We too are called to that kingship and kingdom.
Courage!
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