20231126 LET THERE BE PEACE
26 November 2023, Sunday, Christ the King
First reading |
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17 © |
The Lord will judge between sheep and sheep
The Lord says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
As for you, my sheep, the Lord says this: I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 22(23):1-3a,5-6 © |
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28 © |
Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father; so that God may be all in all
Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him. After that will come the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, having done away with every sovereignty, authority and power. For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feetand the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet. And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.
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 |
Matthew 25:31-46 © |
I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.
‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’
LET THERE BE PEACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZK 34:11-12,15-17; 1 COR 15:20-26,28; MT 25:31-46]
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. The theme of our celebration is “Let there be peace.” How can peace reign on earth? The world is so divided and fragmented today in spite of the tremendous improvements in social and mass communication. Instead of bringing about greater unity through communication, there is even greater misunderstanding than ever before because of how individuals and organizations make use of mass communication to spread distorted views and fake news. But the world is divided not only because of social communication but fierce competition for power, fame and wealth.
What is the cause of division? The first division comes from man himself. Divided within himself, he finds no peace within, hence he brings nothing but division and trouble to society; and then to the world. Jesus in the gospel tells us that it is “from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.” (Mk 7:21f). Indeed, there is a lack of peace in the world because the individual is not at peace with himself or herself. This is why in the beautiful hymn, we sing, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me!”
Today, when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we are affirming in faith that Christ is the only one that can bring peace to humanity. What is the significance of proclaiming Christ as our King? A king is one whose primary duty is not so much to rule and control his subjects but to bring peace to his people. In every nation, there is always a monarch or a President whose primary task is to unite the people in love and in unity, with everyone working together, caring for each other, prospering together, and so live in peace. This is true for all of us, whether we are leaders in church, society, organizations or within our own homes. The power given to us as leaders is never for ourselves, to make us egoistic, to make use of people for our interests, to make them serve us, or for us to control them. But authority and power is given to us to unite everyone so that all are protected and given the opportunity to grow and contribute to society; so that together we prosper and enjoy the gifts of this creation in love, unity and peace.
God had entrusted the duty of uniting the people to earthly kings, but instead of representing God and acting on His behalf to serve the people they were motivated by fear, greed, power and envy. By their policies they divided the people and the nations. Hence, He said, “I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.”
This is what Jesus our king sought to do. He came to unite humanity and so bring peace to the individuals and the nations. How does He do it if not by His mercy and compassion especially for the poor. Jesus not only teaches us He but shows the way. At the beginning of His ministry, He made it clear by citing from the prophet Isaiah, thus spelling out His vision and mission for society. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” (Lk 4:18f). Hence, we read in the Acts of the Apostles, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)
The way to peace can only come when we destroy sin that causes division within man and society. St Paul wrote, “For he must be king until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death. And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subject in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.” Peace can come about only when we are subject to the teachings of Christ and live by the gospel values enunciated by our Lord. We need to go beyond ourselves and think of others. The only way to protect our peace and happiness is to care for the interests of others as well.
Hence, our Lord in today’s gospel reminds us that on the day of judgment, we will not be judged by our achievements in life. We will not be judged by whatever penances or mortifications we have done; or how many rosaries we have prayed, or how many masses we have attended. We are judged by our compassion and charity. This is what the Lord said, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.”
It is in the works of charity that we are assessed on the depth of our love for our fellowmen and for God. This is because God is identified with us. Indeed, Christ is in our fellowmen, especially when they are our fellow Christians. Jesus identifies Himself with the weak, the poor and the suffering. In the context of mission, Jesus is identified with His priests, ministers, religious and all those who are engaged in the mission of the Church. Giving support and hospitality to Christ’s messengers is an obligation.
In the final analysis, this is what true love is all about; a love that goes beyond simply our loved ones. For in loving our loved ones, we are still loving ourselves to a great extent because we are identified with them more intimately. But for us to show compassion and charity towards strangers, we show that we see Christ in them and so extend our love for them simply because they are made in the image and likeness of God as we are. Hence, they too are identified with us. We are all one humanity, one family of God, regardless of our status, religion and race. We bear the image of God and we are all brothers and sisters of our Lord. We must be an inclusive, welcoming and hospitable Church.
Indeed, the only way to conquer sin, which is rooted in fear and selfishness, is by love. We must die to ourselves as Christ did, showing us the way of love by overcoming hatred, non-violence over revenge, forgiveness over bearing grudges, loving our enemies over hatred. As a consequence, if we share in the death of Christ, we will share in His love as well. St Paul assures us that “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ; but all of them in their proper order: Christ as the first-fruits and then, after the coming of Christ, those who belong to him.”
Hence, let us follow Jesus the King of peace. He came in all humility, and He entered Jerusalem as King not on a horse like a warrior but on a donkey, signaling that He has come for peace and reconciliation. He has come to show us the way to true and lasting peace. But He not only shows us the way; by His death and resurrection, Jesus has come to unite us all in Him and give us His Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, releasing us from the bondage of the Evil One, and empowering us to love like Him. He comes to heal our souls and our fallen nature. He comes to strengthen our will and remove our fear of death which is the last enemy of humanity. This King of peace comes to bring us the gifts of the Holy Spirit by blessing us with His charisms to do what He has done, so that we too can heal the sick, cast out devils and evil from society. In this way, Jesus will help us to find peace within ourselves first so that we can bring peace to the rest of humanity. Jesus is our peace!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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