The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Jesus Christ is our King. This is something we as Christians need to accept. We need to recognize him as our Lord, who has the right to ask us to do whatever is needed to fulfill his will. If he asks for our gifts and talents, then we must give them to him to the best of our abilities. If he asks for our treasures and goods, we must offer them up for his purpose. If he asks for us to suffer mockery and persecution for him, then we must stand at his side ready to receive the blows. If he asks us to die for his glory or the good of others, then we must be able to let go of our lives and give them over to him as a sacrifice. In all things, we must we willing to accept our crosses, whatever they might be... great or small, easy or hard. This is what Jesus did for us, and we should be willing and able to do the same for His Kingdom.

Do we recognize that we were created through and for God and not ourselves? Do we recognize Jesus as the Head of the Church and the master of our lives? What are we doing to seek out our spiritual fulfillment in and with Him?

O Lord, in you we were created and for the magnification of you we were made.

Amen.

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."

Jesus could have easily saved himself, but instead he choose to lay down his life for us. This choice is his crowning moment, when he proclaimed himself King of Paradise and our Savior. And although we are not faced with a true crucifixion like Christ, we are faced with many moments of crucifixion throughout our lives. If we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, then we must learn to embrace our trials and seek not to save ourselves, but to save others. This is what it means to be Christ-like, to live a self-sacrificial life, and to ultimately be remembered in the Kingdom of Heaven and be always with our God in Paradise.

Are we seeking to save ourselves or others? How can we learn to embrace our crosses like Christ did? How do we pay homage to Christ, our King?

O Lord, you are our King and salvation.

Amen.

Third Thursday of Advent

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.  Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.

Why is Matthew so interested in the lineage of Christ? It is to show that Jesus is the culmination of God’s covenant with Abraham and the fulfillment of the royal line of David. Jesus is the New Covenant and the New King and with him comes all the graces and authority of both. His covenant will be a binding one upon all people through every generation. His message of loving God with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths and our neighbors as He loves us is at the core of His Good News. We are all called to live our lives in accord with these new commandments and if we do not, then we shall not have a share in the Heavenly Kingdom. However, if we do listen and put into action God’s Will for us, then we shall grow in faith, hope, and charity and one day we shall be able to stand before God and he will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.”

Do we live our lives in accord with the gospel message of the New Covenant? Do we accept Jesus’ claim to be the rightful king of our hearts? Do we strive to be good and faithful servants every day of our lives?

O Lord, may we be counted among your faithful children when the time of judgment comes.

Amen.

The Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"  Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here."  So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Jesus’ kingdom does not belong to this world and if we want to be part of it, then we cannot belong to this world either. We must foster within our souls a holy detachment from worldly things and people. Our trust should be in God and our energies should be focused on knowing, loving, and serving God and His children to the best of our abilities. We are also called to listen to God’s voice within our hearts and testify to the truth even if doing so causes us to be persecuted or undergo other troubles in our lives. It is far more important to suffer temporary trials and tribulations and become a child of God’s heavenly kingdom, then to be worldly creatures and suffer eternal separation from God because of our selfishness. As followers of Christ, we should always choose life with God over death in sin.

Do we believe Jesus is our King and Savior? How do we make our beliefs known through our thoughts, words, and works? Have we formed a spirit of holy detachment from the things and people of this world?

O Lord, you are our King and we belong to you.

Amen.