XXXIV SUNDAY IN OT:[C]: II Sam 5:1-3; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43

XXXIV SUNDAY IN OT:[C]: II Sam 5:1-3; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43

Introduction: Today, the last Sunday of ordinary time the Church in a special way invites us to celebrate Jesus Christ our anointed king who overcame suffering and death, and so brought us out of darkness into his kingdom of light.

Scriptural lessons: The gospel text of today (Lk 23:35-43) tells us that the placard that was affixed to the cross to point out to the crime of Jesus, read: “This is the King of the Jews.” All the four gospels are agreed on this interesting detail (Mt 27:37; Mk 15:18; Lk 23:38; Jn 19:14).  In short, Jesus was being killed in the Roman way because of treason: he was accused of calling himself “King of the Jews”.  But this was only a false accusation. Nowhere in the gospels do we find a text where Jesus made an explicit declaration like: “I am the King of the Jews.”  All the gospels tell us that this question featured very strongly in the trials of Jesus.  So how did he get entangled with this title, and to the point of getting crucified on account of that? 

Exegesis: After his arrest, Jesus has been accused before Pilate, the Roman governor, of being opposed to Caesar and of claiming to be the Messiah of God, a king. Now, having been condemned to death under Roman law, Jesus is being crucified along with two criminals. The rulers and the soldiers taunt Jesus and call out that if he is the Messiah and king of the Jews, he should be able to save himself. One of the criminals also reviles Jesus saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other criminal, however, recognizing his own crimes and the goodness of Jesus, says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus responds, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Anecdote: In the 1920s, a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey!" ["Long live Christ the King!"] They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally, the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey!" At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture. 

History: It was Pope Pius XI who brought the Feast of Christ the King into the liturgy in 1925, to bring Christ, his rule and Christian values back into lives of Christians, into society and into politics. The Feast was also a reminder to the totalitarian governments of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin that Jesus Christ is the only Sovereign King.  Although Emperors and Kings now exist mostly in history books, we still honor Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning Him in our hearts and allowing Him to take control of our lives. This feast challenges us to see Christ the King in everyone, especially those whom our society considers the least important, and to treat each person with human considerations as Jesus did.

Joke: After tucking their three-year-old child Sammy in for bed one night, his parents heard sobbing coming from his room.

Rushing back in, they found him crying hysterically. He managed to tell them that he had swallowed a penny and he was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking was helping.

His father, in an attempt to calm him down, palmed a penny from his pocket and pretended to pull it from Sammy's ear. Sammy was delighted.

In a flash, he snatched it from his father's hand, swallowed, and then cheerfully demanded, "Do it again, Dad!"

Life messages: 1) We need to surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ, our king, lives in our hearts with His Holy Spirit and His Heavenly Father, and fills our souls with His grace, we need to learn to live in His Holy Presence and do God's will by sharing His forgiving love with others around us. Being aware of His presence in the Bible, in the Sacraments and in the worshipping community we need to listen and talk to Him.

2) Be servers: Since Christ was a serving King we are invited to be His loyal citizens by rendering humble service to others and by sharing Christ’s mercy and forgiveness with others.

3) We need to use our authority to support the rule of Jesus.  This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the public or the private realms to use it for Jesus by bearing witness to him by the way we live. Parents are expected to use   their God-given authority to train their children in Christian ideals and in the ways of committed Christian living.

Thirty Fourth Sunday in OT:Christ the King: Introduction

Message: In Hebron, David is hailed as king by all the tribes of Israel.  Jesus is anointed king on the wood of his cross, a sign of paradox, of defeat yet final victory.  Through his cross we have passed from darkness into the kingdom of light.

Saints and Events in this week: 25-Twenty fifth-Monday-Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin, martyr; 28-Twenty Eighth-Thursday-Thanksgiving Day; 30-Thirtieth-Saturday-St.Andrew, Apostle;