Jesus Christ the Universal King

THE POWER TO FORGIVE AND TRANSFORM

2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43

Readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King

In the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Archbishop of Paris preached: 

Some years ago, three young tourists—rude and cynical—came into this cathedral. Two dared the third to make up a confession. The young man went and arrogantly made his confession. The confessor told him: “For your penance, stand before the crucifix, look into the face of the crucified Christ and say: ‘All this you did for me, and I don’t give a damn!’” The young man went out and bragged that he had completed the dare; but the other two insisted he finish the dare by doing the penance. So he re-entered the cathedral, stood before the crucifix, looked up into the face of Christ and began: “All this you did for me and I… I… I don’t… I don’t give…” he couldn’t continue. 

At this point, the archbishop leaned over the pulpit and said: “That young man stands before you to preach today.”

This is the power of our King has: the power to forgive and transform through love and the cross.

On the cross, stripped of everything—clothes, strength, dignity—Jesus retains his power to

- forgive: he forgives his persecutors, the executioners, and the repentant thief; 

- change hearts: he transforms the thief, the centurion, and the people.

Paul’s hymn to the Colossians (second reading) emphasizes that in Jesus we have the forgiveness of sins; through him, all things are reconciled.

In a world which gives importance to territory, power, wealth, rhetoric, and show… Jesus is a king whose

  kingdom has no boundaries and goes beyond nationality; 

  citizens are the poor, the lost, the marginalized;

  crown is compassion 

  throne is the crib and the cross; 

  authority is that of humble and loving service; 

  law is love;

  life and death was among sinners.

Is Jesus my king? If so… Do I imitate him and his way of love and mercy, humility and service? Do I allow him to transform me with the power of his love and his cross?

XXXIII Sunday of the Year

LIVE FULLY… NOW

Malachi 3:19-20a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19

Readings for the XXXIII Sunday of the Year

A warrior was struck by a poisonous arrow. His companions wanted to remove the arrow. But he would not allow them until he had answers to his questions: the characteristics of the shooter and his origins; the wood of the arrow; the bird from which the feathers came; the type of bow; the material of the bowstring. His companions cried out in frustration: “For heaven’s sake! Stop speculating and pull out the arrow!”

In this Sunday’s gospel, there is the speculative warrior in the people: they live in a present which is tense; they want to know when the end will happen and what signs will indicate the end.

Jesus lists three phenomena which people might assume are indicators of the end: persecution, the appearance of false messiahs, disasters. But he indicates that it is pointless to speculate when/ how the end will happen; it will happen “whenever”.

What is more important is our response to these happenings! We need not be afraid because the Lord will be with us; we ought not to be attached to transient structures; we must persevere and live fully with/ for God always. Then, it will be future perfect! “There will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (first reading). 

In the second reading, St Paul gives us another response: hard work. Some Thessalonians were unwilling to work and were becoming a burden. Paul presents himself as a model and advises all to work hard and quietly!

Am I going to allow the speculative warrior in me to “wonder” about the future and the end of the world or will I “pull out the arrow” by working hard and living a full life?

Let us not re-live the past; not pre-live the future; let us live fully now. As Joan Borysenko writes: “The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live!”

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

A CHURCH ALIVE

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22

Readings for the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

In 1953, reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station to meet the 1952 Nobel peace prize winner. Suddenly, during the welcome, the man excused himself and walked up to an elderly Afro-American woman struggling to carry her suitcases. He picked up her cases, escorted her to a bus, then returned to the waiting group, and apologised for keeping them waiting.

That was Dr Albert Schweitzer, the missionary-doctor who had spent his life helping the poor and the sick in Africa. A member of the reception committee remarked: “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”

Dr Schweitzer understood the meaning of being church: being alive. He was also alive to the reality around him.

Benedict XVI reminded us that “the temple of stones is a symbol of the living church, the Christian community, which… is a ‘spiritual edifice,’ built by God with ‘living stones,’ namely, Christians themselves.”

The readings highlight this fact. Ezekiel emphasises that the temple is the source of life-giving water. St Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are God’s holy building with Christ as their foundation. Therefore, they need to build their lives carefully and live lives worthy of their calling. Through the cleansing of the temple, Jesus indicates that he is the new temple… the source of life and love. These are not separate truths but a movement: from the physical temple to the human heart to the divine presence among us, from structure to spirit.

Do I see myself—and other Christians—as church? Am I—and the community of believers to which I belong—a live church and a church that is alive to the realities around me? Am I a source of life and love?

All Souls’ Day

WHAT LIES BEYOND…

Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

Readings for All Souls’ Day

A dying man was scared about death. He shared his fears with his doctor, a Christian. Just then the doctor heard a scratching at the door. He paused and said: “Do you hear that? It’s my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient and has come up. He has no idea what lies beyond the door, but he knows that his master is here. It is the same with me! I don’t know what lies beyond the door of death, but I know my master is there.”

This is what our faith and the readings for All Souls’ Day affirm: beyond the tomb, lies our master waiting to welcome us to our eternal dwelling.

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom is emphatic: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God… they are in peace.”

St Paul assures the Romans: “Since we are now justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath” and “We shall… be united with him in the resurrection.”

In the gospel, Jesus promises the crowds: “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Shortly before he died, Jean-Paul Sartre—the atheist philosopher—declared he had strong feelings of despair and he would say to himself: “I know I shall die in hope.” Then in profound sadness, he would add: “But hope needs a foundation.” Christian hope has a foundation: the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Does my hope have this strong foundation? Do I believe that my dear departed are at peace in the hand of God and will be raised on the last day?