20191124
ESTABLISHING
THE REIGN OF GOD’S KINGDOM
24 NOVEMBER,
2019, Sunday, Christ the King
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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2 Samuel 5:1-3 ©
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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.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 121(122):1-5 ©
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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.’
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Second reading
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Colossians 1:12-20 ©
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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.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mk11:10
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Blessings
on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings
on the coming kingdom of our father David!
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 23:35-43 ©
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'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.’
ESTABLISHING THE
REIGN OF GOD’S KINGDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Sm 5:1-3; Ps 122:1-5; Col 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43]
Today, being the last
Sunday of the year, the liturgical calendar culminates in the celebration of
the Feast of Christ the King. But does this feast make sense for us today,
considering that very few countries are ruled by a monarchy with absolute
power? Most of us are more familiar with a democratically-elected
government. It is therefore helpful for us to contextualize the
institution of this Feast of Christ the King so that we can celebrate it
meaningfully in our time. This feast was instituted in response to the
spread of communism and atheistic political regimes that were sweeping Europe
and parts of Asia. Europe, the heart of Christianity, was under the
threat of atheism. Hence, in 1925, Pope Pius XI proclaimed this feast to
be celebrated to call to mind that the kingdoms of the world ultimately must
come under the reign of God in Christ Jesus.
Does this situation
still exist in our time? The
answer is doubly ‘yes’. Whilst to a great extent, communism as a
political ideology is no longer a real threat to the world and religions, this
atheistic ideology is even more widespread today in so-called democratic and
even Christian countries. Atheism today comes under the guise of
secularism and humanism. There is a concerted attempt in democratic
countries to take religions out of public space in the name of fostering unity
among all peoples of different races, cultures and religions. Although we
are living in a free world, God is no longer freely spoken about or mentioned
in public spaces. Whilst the world is no longer ruled by communism as a
political institution, we are ruled by atheistic and secular philosophies.
Quite often, such secular philosophies, which are rooted on pure reason and
science, are devoid of moral and ethical considerations and are mainly
concerned with material progress, technological and economic development.
The values promoted by the world are individualistic, sensual, materialistic,
relativistic and humanistic. It does not promote the full development of
the human person, which includes human, social, intellectual and spiritual
growth.
So who should be the
moral guardian of society?
In ancient times, the ruler assumed all the responsibilities of building his
people by defending them from their enemies, helping the people to be
prosperous, and took care of their moral and spiritual well-being as
well. This entailed developing their potentials to the fullest, not just
intellectually or in skills, but also ensuring that they grew in moral
integrity and spiritual maturity so that they could give themselves in selfless
service to humanity and bring peace and progress for all. This was why we
read in the first reading that David was asked to be King for both the Southern
Kingdom of Judah and the Northern King of Israel. By anointing him as
king over the whole of Israel, David was able to bring both kingdoms together
in unity under his rule. As the leader and king, he also assumed the role
of religious leader, since a leader is called to govern the people in such a
way that they are united in love and are given a holistic development.
So, who will be the guardian of truth, now that the State is no longer the
guardian of morality, and religion is booted out of public spaces?
Indeed, in celebrating
the Feast of Christ the King, we are offering to the world the path to peace by placing ourselves
under the reign of God. The kingdoms of this world ultimately belong
to God. This is what the second reading of St Paul’s letter to the
Colossians wants us to know. Our faith tells us that creation comes from
the goodness of God our Father. However, creation was destroyed by the
selfishness and sins of man. Christ who is “the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation” has come to redeem us. The Father
“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.” Christ came to show us the way to freedom,
truth and love. He offers us forgiveness for our sins and reveals to us
the mercy of God. Christ is intimately connected with creation. He
is the principle of unity since “all things were created through him and for
him … he holds all things in unity.” Indeed, because Christ is for
us the perfection of God and of man, “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.”
In other words, there
will be peace and unity in the world if the world subscribes to the gospel that
He has taught us.
Perhaps not all might come to know Christ as the Son of God or the Saviour of
the world, but so long as they submit to the kingdom values of the gospel which
are universal, they too would have come under the reign of God’s love and
truth. There is so much division in the world today because the gospel of
Christ is contradicted. Man has no regard for God, no love for Him.
Instead of living for God and for the life to come, man lives for himself and
for this world only. This explains why man has become individualistic,
worldly and is only concerned about life and pleasure on earth.
In the light of today’s
Feast, we are reminded of our duty to establish the kingdom of justice, love
and peace wherever we are. How
can we participate in the mission of Christ? The New Evangelization demands
that Catholics must permeate the world with the values of the gospel in the
areas of politics, economics, mass media, social, family and education.
The mission of the laity is in the world, wherever they are. Hence, to
ensure that the Kingdom is established in the world, it is critical that our
Catholics take part in politics. We need faith-filled Catholics in Civil
Service, in Medicine, Education, Media, business and economy so that we can
ensure that the universal values of the gospel are upheld in every area of
human life, eternal values that serve justice, truth and love.
More importantly, on
this Feast, before we ask whether Christ reigns in the world, we need to ask
whether we have personally accepted Christ as our King in the first place. Is our proclamation of Christ’s
kingship just a lip service or do we also live out our lives under His reign of
love, justice, mercy and truth? Is Christ the Lord of our
lives? Do we truly believe that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life?
Are our lives lived under the rule of the gospel that He has taught us?
Do we defer our judgement to His in the way we examine moral issues in life
today, such as abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, marriage and the family? Do we
take the scriptures and the teachings of the Church seriously or do we hold to
our own personal views in matters of faith, doctrines and morals?
Indeed, the gospel today
invites each one of us to respond individually to His rule. Over His head on the cross, we read
the inscription, “This is the King of the Jews.” There were some who
pledged their loyalty to Him and there were those who opposed His
kingship. But Jesus ignored all the jeering and shouting. Instead, He
turned His attention to the one man, the criminal who professed his faith in
Jesus saying, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied,
“Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This criminal
was saved that day! Each one of us must give a personal response to
Christ’s call. If we are humble like the Good Thief, then we can be
assured of forgiveness, peace and paradise because we are allowing Him to reign
in our hearts.
So as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the
King, let us make Him first as the center of our lives. He must be the light and guide of
every decision that we make. Collaborating with Him, we must establish
the kingdom of love, justice, peace and mercy in the world. On the cross,
Jesus showed us that to save others we must die for others. Like Jesus,
we must be reconcilers in the world. We must work for peace wherever we
are, at our workplace, in society and in the world. Through dialogue, mutual
understanding, mutual respect and encouragement, as Christians, we must help
humanity to develop holistically and ensure that we have leaders with
integrity, faith, wisdom and compassion to help the people to become one nation
and one humanity. Underpinning all that we do is the gospel of Christ,
for only His love and mercy can unite humanity.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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