Gospel Reflection for Sunday the 21st of November 2021
Feast of Christ the King
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Matthew 18:33-37
Dear young people, this Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. And so, as we approach the end of this liturgical year, our focus and attention are placed on this image of Christ as ‘king’. Christ is king: the one power who must order our lives; the one whom to whom our total allegiance and dedication is due.
Now Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn 18:36). He is speaking of a world unlike the one we are experiencing here and now; a world which is in many ways, broken and dysfunctional; a world filled with pain and suffering. Living in such a world is accompanied by guilt and fear, by anxieties and worries. Just think of the mayhem this pandemic alone has caused and is causing. How many people today, all over the world, are absorbed in fear and stress; how much suffering? There are so many questions over vaccines – should I take it, should I not? We’re trying to hold on to our values, to understand our priorities; trying to understand what the Church is saying, or what the Church is not
saying. So many unanswered questions at this difficult time. And let us add that until the Lord comes again in his glory, this kingdom continues to be ruled ruled by Satan and his powers. He is very real and powerful, and uses people to disclose his plans for division and
destruction.
Dear friends, there is another kingdom; a kingdom that the Lord wants to bring us to. It is that place of peace and rest. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Jn 14:27) How do we enter this Kingdom of God? Jesus says, “I am the door” (Jn 10:7). So, Jesus is the only door by which we can enter the kingdom. Friends, when I accept the Word of God and its promises, I in turn, open myself up to a new world. It is the kingdom of God; the kingdom of the Spirit, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. As I contemplate and absorb the Gospel message of God’s love, God’s mercy and forgiveness, God’s providence over my life and his desire to live and move in me, then I am transformed and suddenly find myself there; in that place of rest and peace, in my Father’s loving arms, carried, loved.
Let’s just pause and take a moment to be quiet, to simply ask ourselves, ‘Is Jesus my king? Have I allowed Him to be Lord of my life?’ You know, this is what Jesus really desires. He wants to reign as king of our hearts. And what do we do before a king? We bow down. It is a sign of one’s submission to authority. Jesus is indeed the ‘King of kings, and Lord of Lords’.
A good question to ask myself today is: what is the authority I bow before; Who rules my
life?
A ruling king owns all his people’s possessions, everything they have, and I believe the Lord wants us to hand over all our possessions, and that means everything. I’m not just referring to material things. It includes especially our sins, our fears, our anxieties. On this solemn feast of Christ the King, let us concretely surrender our hearts to Jesus, to trust him completely and thus allow him to rule as king of our hearts. This is the only way that I can accept today’s troublesome and difficult times. To intrust my life completely to Jesus and accept whatever happens. Oh, how wonderful it is when He is Lord of my life. Finally, pray with me now, slowly and reflectively, as we recite or sing this wonderful
hymn:
“Lord reign in me,
Reign in your power,
Over all my dreams, in my darkest hour.
You are the Lord of all I am,
Oh, won’t you reign in me again”.
-Fr. John Egan S.C.A.