The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29). The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
PREPARE
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon his glorious throne, and all nations shall be gathered together before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates His sheep from the goats. He will set/place the sheep on His right side/hand and the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33).
Perhaps you have never noticed the stained glass image of Christ the King in the St. Kilian Chapel at St. Ann, but it is worth reflecting on, especially this week, as we celebrate the solemnity. The depiction of Christ crowned in glory with sheep approaching one side and goats departing by the other is something we may have glossed over, but it has an important message for us if we take the time to ponder it.
In the Gospel, Jesus declares that the Son of Man “will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Mt. 25:33). This is likely the first thing that we might notice as we look at this image, but notice also that the sheep are facing Christ, while the goats are facing away from Him. The main dividing characteristic between the sheep and the goats is their orientation and posture. Those who keep their gaze on Christ, no matter what comes their way, are rewarded with beatitude, that is, with the blessed vision of Christ for all eternity. They are able to perceive Him in all situations and people, especially ones filled with hunger, thirst, nakedness, exile, illness, and imprisonment. Despite all the desperation displayed before them, the sheep stay oriented towards Christ the King who reigns in every circumstance. The goats, on the other hand, are not facing Christ. With their face turned away, they give Christ their backs. The posture they assume shows us that they have turned away from the face of Christ, facing instead out towards the world.
Contemplating this image brings to mind another dramatic scene from the Gospels: the crucifixion. Looking at this teaching of Christ, we can see a similarity with the cross. We read that after Jesus' crucifixion, the soldiers placed above His head a sign which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Mt. 27:37). Next it is recorded that “two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left” (Mt. 27:38), like the sheep and the goats of our parable. Christ’s response to the repentant thief is the same as what he says to His sheep: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43). The glory of Christ and the cross are connected. The “good thief” on the right side of Christ does not look to himself for salvation but to Christ on the cross, to Christ who is hungry for souls, thirsting for love, estranged, alone, and abandoned, to the Christ who hangs naked from the tree. The thief on the left, the goat, does not accept Christ on the cross and can only mock what he cannot control. To those who lack the humility to see grace breaking out in these terrible circumstances, all that can be done is to curse the world, which begins to become less clear, less comprehensible, and less full of meaning.
If we stop and take a moment to think about it, we can find that, throughout this tumultuous year, we ourselves have taken on the orientation of both the sheep and the goats. At the close of this liturgical year, on this Solemnity of Christ the King, we are called to reflect on when we have responded to the cross-moments in our lives like the good thief and bad thief. When we look at the fading light of this year, and as the dawn of a new year is just about to rise, it is important to ask ourselves an uncomfortable but necessary question: where am I? On the left or the right? Perhaps, if we do not like where we are now in association with Christ, we ask forgiveness and ask for the grace to be where He wants us to be at this time next year.
PRACTICE
This week think about how you can help those who are hungry or in need. Maybe you can clean out your closet and your toys and donate them. Or you can use some of your own money to give to the Thanksgiving baskets. Or donate food to a food bank. Or you could make cards for those in nursing homes. There are lots of ways we can help those in need around us.
Next Sunday marks the beginning of a new liturgical year with the season of Advent. As this year comes to a close, it can be helpful to look over this year, to take stock of how closely we journeyed with the Lord, and how we cooperated in His grace.
For the practice this week, spend some time reflecting on this past liturgical year, thinking back to the first Sunday of Advent in 2019 to now. You may have found that you have had more time than usual to reflect, or maybe you’ve been doing everything you can just to stay afloat. Either way, we’re inviting you to spend some time prayerfully reflecting on this year. Where have you witnessed God at work, God’s grace breaking into the everyday burdens and tasks? Where did you cooperate with God’s grace and grow in obedience and humility? Where did you fall short? When in these past twelve months have you been a sheep? When were you a goat? How in these past twelve months have you reached out and cared for those near you?
Having spent time reflecting on this past year, thank the Holy Spirit for His inspiration and journeying with you in this process of recollection. Ask Him to guide you now to make some firm resolutions for the coming year. Looking over this past year and how you cooperated in God’s grace or have fallen short, what can you do moving forward to stay oriented towards Christ’s face?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below. What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
When you think about Christ as the King, what image comes to mind? Have you ever looked at the image in the St. Kilian’s Chapel of Christ the King? When you look at it what do you notice?
The first reading from the prophet Ezekiel speaks about how God will rescue His sheep “scattered on the day of dark clouds” (Ezek. 34:12). It seems there have been a lot of “darkness and clouds” in this past year for many of us. Where have you experienced this? Did you experience God’s presence working in that moment or later on? Where have you witnessed God at work, in the everyday burdens and tasks? Have there been any struggles this year that you have been grateful that God has allowed?
Where did you cooperate with God’s grace and grow in obedience and humility? Where did you fall short?
In the Gospel, Jesus talks about the time of judgment saying that He will be separating “sheep from the goats.” and that “He will set the sheep on His right side and the goats on His left” (Mt. 25:32-33). What does it look like to be a “sheep” vs. a “goat”? When in these past twelve months have you been a sheep? When were you a goat?
Christ identifies Himself with the hungry, thirsty, strangers, abandoned, naked, sick and imprisoned. How in these past twelve months have you reached out and cared for Christ in people suffering in those ways?
Do you have a vision for where you want to be at this time next year?
Having recalled this past year and how you cooperated in God’s grace or have fallen short, what can you do moving forward to stay oriented towards the face of Christ?
KIDS
ACTIVITY
Make a list of the things that make someone a good King/Queen (helpful, kind to others, brings peace, etc.). Then go through the list and see if Jesus has all of those requirements. He should! He is the greatest King!
CONNECTION
Today is a special feast in the church year- it is the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (also known as the Feast of Christ the King). The priest wears white vestments to signify this special feast. Jesus tells us in the Gospel today of the sorts of things he wants us to do for each other- feed and clothe the hungry and needy, care for the sick, welcome strangers, visit those in prison. He says that whoever did these things to the people around them, did them to Him meaning that whenever we help others, we are helping Jesus.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How is Jesus like a King?
How will Jesus separate the sheeps from the goats?
Why does Jesus want us to help those in need?
What are some simple acts of love and kindness?
FAMILY PRACTICE
This week use the particular gift/talent, you just discussed, that God has given you. Make a plan on how you can use one of your talents this week to help someone.
