November 24, 2013 (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)
2 Samuel 5: 1-3; Ps. 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5; Colossians 1: 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43
Let Us Go Rejoicing with The King!
Greetings, and welcome to the end of another lap in this great race of life! Today we’ve reach the end of another liturgical year, and we’re a tad closer to the finish line than we were this time last year. As we’re about to enter another Advent of our faith, let’s take stock in where we’ve been in this Year of Faith. Like previous years, we began with a “new beginning” last Advent. We asked ourselves, how could Christ be born into our hearts yet again, and we welcomed that birth at Christmas, ready for a new part of us to grow into a new year of our lives. We made straight the paths of our faith, and set out on our new journey. If you remember, the time between the New Year and Ash Wednesday was quick, and so our journey quickly reached the desert of Lent, where I hope you did more than just give up something, I hope you identified a new piece of the puzzle in your life to work on, and pray about as you walked the Way of the Cross. This Way brought us all another dose of the best news of all, the salvation and the promise of the resurrection of Easter! During Easter, we learned of the Acts of the Apostles, and how their actions and trust in faith breathed life into our Church with the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as we lifted up our gifts, and the glory of the Blessed Trinity, and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! Springtime gave way to summer, and the not-so-ordinary challenges of “Ordinary Time” called us all to consider becoming true and authentic disciples, ready to serve and follow our Lord, once again picking up our cross; but this time we were called to make it our own, making real our reflection earlier in the year on Jesus’ Way. Now the race has brought us to then end of this lap, as we join the communion of Saints as they sing in thanksgiving for all that God has given us… Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will… For before us is our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; born of the Virgin Mary in the house of David. He is the light of the world; our teacher, our healer and our friend! So today, as we sang with the Psalmist, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” and let us culminate this lap of the race with a recognition that HE IS OUR KING, and in Him we find all that we need, all that we hoped for, and all that is asked of us!
This brings us full circle as we greet our King in the same way that Israel greeted the anointing of King David… “Here we are, your bones and your flesh… The Lord said to you, You shall shepherd my people Israel… [and] they anointed him king!” This was surely a unique occurrence, for the Lord of all creation entered into a covenant with an earthly king, who promised to lead God’s people in a way so that they could live out their faith and live in a land where God was the primary ruler of their hearts, and their king would shepherd them as he had done with his sheep, with total care and commitment to their needs and their well being. This in-turn would provide for them a model of how they should live and shepherd one another in their homes, communities and even their countries. Could the world leaders of today do the same? One can hope and pray for such a world, and frankly dare to make it so, if we would expect such from our leaders. But today is not a day to celebrate political kingship, or discuss the decisions of world leaders. Today is a day to celebrate the core of all that is our faith is rooted upon. Today is the day we recognize our true King and all that He offers our lives. Our second reading from Colossians offers us an ancient hymn, a creed of sorts that explains exactly who this king of glory is for us. “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.” His name is Jesus, and He is our King!
Finally, our Gospel illustrates Christ’s most important act of His reign. Our King is not here to save himself and his own power like the kings of this world, he’s here to save us! But the sobering reality is placed before you and I to accept this love, as this salvation is for all the children of God. Are we the Bad Thief, taunting our Lord with too many questions to ease our curiosity, or are we like the Good Thief who recognized his own frailty simply requesting, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom”? Jesus responds to him, and to us: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” So the Good News today is that we are called to continue this race with our eyes fixed on the finish line, as we have a home in Jesus, our savior and our King! “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” and enter another new Advent of our lives; a new beginning of a new birth of Christ in our hearts!
Note: If it still be God's will, I am scheduled to be Ordained a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church on December 7, 2013 by the Most Rev. Robert Baker, Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama. I ask for your prayers, as I know God has His plan, and that plan involves me, and you! Let us continue to proclaim the Gospel, and "use words only when necessary!" (St. Francis)
2 Samuel 5: 1-3; Ps. 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5; Colossians 1: 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43
Let Us Go Rejoicing with The King!
Greetings, and welcome to the end of another lap in this great race of life! Today we’ve reach the end of another liturgical year, and we’re a tad closer to the finish line than we were this time last year. As we’re about to enter another Advent of our faith, let’s take stock in where we’ve been in this Year of Faith. Like previous years, we began with a “new beginning” last Advent. We asked ourselves, how could Christ be born into our hearts yet again, and we welcomed that birth at Christmas, ready for a new part of us to grow into a new year of our lives. We made straight the paths of our faith, and set out on our new journey. If you remember, the time between the New Year and Ash Wednesday was quick, and so our journey quickly reached the desert of Lent, where I hope you did more than just give up something, I hope you identified a new piece of the puzzle in your life to work on, and pray about as you walked the Way of the Cross. This Way brought us all another dose of the best news of all, the salvation and the promise of the resurrection of Easter! During Easter, we learned of the Acts of the Apostles, and how their actions and trust in faith breathed life into our Church with the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as we lifted up our gifts, and the glory of the Blessed Trinity, and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! Springtime gave way to summer, and the not-so-ordinary challenges of “Ordinary Time” called us all to consider becoming true and authentic disciples, ready to serve and follow our Lord, once again picking up our cross; but this time we were called to make it our own, making real our reflection earlier in the year on Jesus’ Way. Now the race has brought us to then end of this lap, as we join the communion of Saints as they sing in thanksgiving for all that God has given us… Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will… For before us is our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; born of the Virgin Mary in the house of David. He is the light of the world; our teacher, our healer and our friend! So today, as we sang with the Psalmist, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” and let us culminate this lap of the race with a recognition that HE IS OUR KING, and in Him we find all that we need, all that we hoped for, and all that is asked of us!
This brings us full circle as we greet our King in the same way that Israel greeted the anointing of King David… “Here we are, your bones and your flesh… The Lord said to you, You shall shepherd my people Israel… [and] they anointed him king!” This was surely a unique occurrence, for the Lord of all creation entered into a covenant with an earthly king, who promised to lead God’s people in a way so that they could live out their faith and live in a land where God was the primary ruler of their hearts, and their king would shepherd them as he had done with his sheep, with total care and commitment to their needs and their well being. This in-turn would provide for them a model of how they should live and shepherd one another in their homes, communities and even their countries. Could the world leaders of today do the same? One can hope and pray for such a world, and frankly dare to make it so, if we would expect such from our leaders. But today is not a day to celebrate political kingship, or discuss the decisions of world leaders. Today is a day to celebrate the core of all that is our faith is rooted upon. Today is the day we recognize our true King and all that He offers our lives. Our second reading from Colossians offers us an ancient hymn, a creed of sorts that explains exactly who this king of glory is for us. “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.” His name is Jesus, and He is our King!
Finally, our Gospel illustrates Christ’s most important act of His reign. Our King is not here to save himself and his own power like the kings of this world, he’s here to save us! But the sobering reality is placed before you and I to accept this love, as this salvation is for all the children of God. Are we the Bad Thief, taunting our Lord with too many questions to ease our curiosity, or are we like the Good Thief who recognized his own frailty simply requesting, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom”? Jesus responds to him, and to us: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” So the Good News today is that we are called to continue this race with our eyes fixed on the finish line, as we have a home in Jesus, our savior and our King! “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” and enter another new Advent of our lives; a new beginning of a new birth of Christ in our hearts!
Note: If it still be God's will, I am scheduled to be Ordained a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church on December 7, 2013 by the Most Rev. Robert Baker, Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama. I ask for your prayers, as I know God has His plan, and that plan involves me, and you! Let us continue to proclaim the Gospel, and "use words only when necessary!" (St. Francis)
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