Nov 20 2022

Christ the King

First reading 2 Samuel 5:1-3

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.

Responsorial Psalm 121(122):1-5

¹ I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
² Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
³ Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together,
⁴ to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
⁵ There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Second reading Colossians 1:12-20

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.

Gospel Luke 23:35-43

‘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.’

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Jesus, the king of love

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. In the 2nd reading, St. Paul states that Jesus “is the image of the unseen God”. When we see Jesus, we see God. Jesus made God visible through His words and actions. He revealed the true face of God as a God of love who seeks communion with each person, even those who society regarded as outcasts and sinners.

In today’s gospel, Jesus, on the cross, offered mercy to the good thief and brought him into communion with God. He told the criminal, “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”. Jesus is our crucified king whose power is expressed in His merciful love. Like the good thief, may we recognise Jesus as our king who loves us unconditionally and with unfailing love, and tell Him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus will always draw us close to Himself, not just in eternity, but in the here and now.

Reflective question:
As I reflect on the gospel passage, what does it mean for me to celebrate this Feast of Christ the King?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.