20251123 JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND KING
23 November 2025, Sunday, Christ the King
First reading | 2 Samuel 5:1-3 |
They anointed David king of Israel
All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron. ‘Look’ they said ‘we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 121(122):1-5 |
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
Second reading |
Colossians 1:12-20 |
The Father has created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves
We give thanks to the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.
Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
He is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.
As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.
Gospel Acclamation | Mk11:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 23:35-43 |
'Today you will be with me in paradise'
The people stayed there before the cross watching Jesus. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’
JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND KING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Sm 5:1-3; Ps 122:1-5; Col 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43]
The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year. With this celebration, the Church hopes the world will one day acknowledge Christ as their King, not just in name but also of their lives. For us believers who profess Christ as our Lord and King, we are called to live out the faith in words and deeds so that others will come to believe that Christ is truly our Lord and King. What does this profession of faith in Christ as our Lord and King truly mean?
In all the three Scripture readings of today’s liturgy, the kingship of Christ is brought to the fore. Jesus is the fulfilment of King David who was anointed king by the elders of Israel. The Christological hymn in St Paul’s letter to the Colossians invites us to “give thanks to the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light. Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.” And in the Gospel reading, we are reminded that in Christ Jesus, we have been given our freedom from the kingdom of darkness. Through His death on the cross, Christ Jesus brought peace and reconciliation to all, and humanity is once again reconciled with God. And anyone who is in Christ, is reconciled with his brothers and sisters as well.
But reconciliation among men and women is only possible if we understand Christ’s unique kingship and truly live under His kingship. Unlike the world, Christ did not rule from His throne in a palace in all its splendour and glory, where the King is feared, honoured and served because of his power, wealth and influence. But His throne is on the cross where He ruled with love, humility and carrying our sins in His body. It was God’s way of exposing the worldly kingship in our world where it falls short. In Jesus’ kingship, He revealed God’s love completely by His suffering on the Cross and His death. Truly, when the veil of the Temple was torn, God’s glory and power was shown not in strength and might but in love and mercy.
This leaves us an important question, namely, how do we respond to this love of God in Christ Jesus on the cross? On Calvary, two fundamental attitudes towards the cross of Christ are seen. “One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.'” The other thief “spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case, we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said, ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied, ‘today you will be with me in paradise.'”
The truth is that some of us in our suffering, feel that God does not care and that He is useless or helpless in saving us. Some have given up on God like the thief who was contemptuous and cynical of Jesus. Similarly, when we tell God that if you are God, then demonstrate to us that you truly are. In our ignorance, it means that God must show forth His might and spectacular strength to save us and destroy our enemies. In that way, we are no better than the soldiers who mocked Jesus, saying “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” (Lk 23:37) In Matthew’s Gospel, the evangelist recorded, “In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.'” (Mt 27:41-43) In asking Jesus to come down from the cross, they were implying that He was a liar, for if He were truly the Son of God, He wouldn’t be on hanging on the cross. Hence, they believed their accusation was proven true by the very fact that He remained on the cross — concluding that Jesus was not the Son of God after all.
This is why faith in Christ is necessary, and only faith can enable us to understand and accept the mystery of Christ revealed in the cross. What is this faith that is required of us to believe in Jesus as the revelation of God’s mercy and love? We must move from an immature faith of wanting God to reveal His love and mercy to us in the ways of the world, through power that forces us and makes us submit in fear. Rather than demanding that Christ come down from the cross like the cynics in the Gospel, a mature faith confesses Christ’s Lordship and Kingship because He stayed on the Cross so that His humble love and mercy are seen clearly by sinners.
The faith that is needed of us is the faith of Mary, who was united with our Lord, heart, soul and mind. She continued to trust in her Son and in God’s vindication as she continued to do His holy will with total trust and surrender. The Good Thief placed his trust in the Lord to save Him. So too, “the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!'” (Mk 15:39) When we believe and trust in God, like the Good Thief and like Mary, we make ourselves the subjects of Christ’s kingdom because what does it mean to be a subject if not to be one with Jesus and be with God?
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we are called to proclaim this faith in Jesus as our King of love and mercy. But this proclamation is difficult because it does not agree with the values of the world. The world only believes in might and power. Nations only believe in military, technological and economic power. Individuals believe only in wealth, status and authority. Even the Jews and the Apostles initially could not accept the reality of a crucified Messiah. Peter thought might and weapons could save our Lord from His enemies. But he was wrong. The Lord knew better the way of His Father. He said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” (Mt 26:52-54)
And Peter learnt his lesson. Instead of trying to save Jesus by the ways of the world, he submitted to God’s plan and allowed Jesus to save him by His Passion and forgiveness. In Luke’s Gospel, Peter repented when, at the crow of the cock, “The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Lk 22:61f) Peter was overwhelmed by the tearful eyes of love and sympathy of our Lord at his cowardice. If we want to participate in Christ’s kingship, we need to contemplate on the Crucified Lord on the cross. In the cross, Christ lowered Himself to us out of love and mercy. He shared our human condition — injustice, suffering, rejection, humiliation and betrayal. But He did not condemn us or take away our freedom. With a humble love, He forgave us and restored us to His kingdom. It is with this love that we can overcome all things, even our worst enemies — sin, death, and fear.
To confess this faith means to affirm that we are saved by the cross of Christ. We must go beyond the scandal of the cross and see the power of the cross to change lives. It is only when we share the abasement of the cross with our Lord that we will come to appreciate the power of God at work in our lives. St Paul recognised the power of the cross when he recounted, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (1 Cor 12:9f) Truly, as St Paul also wrote, “we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:23f) Indeed, if we want to serve Christ our King, we must follow the same path, putting on the same humility in service and forgiveness so that we can display Christ’s kingship in our lives.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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