Nov 24 2024

First reading Daniel 7:13-14

I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm 92(93):1-2,5

The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The Lord is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the Lord and girt about with strength.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O Lord.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for length of days.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Second reading Apocalypse 1:5-8

Jesus Christ has made us a line of kings and priests

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Gospel John 18:33-37

Yes, I am a king

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’

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The self-giving king

In the gospel, it is striking that Jesus only acknowledged His identity as a king when He was about to fully give Himself on the cross. In doing so, He showed us what kind of king He is and what kind of kingdom He brings. It is not a kingdom where self-interest dominates but one where self-giving reigns. As king, Jesus is the first to pave the way and walk the path of total self-giving. As such, He embodies the true meaning of power which is meant for loving service to God and others.

As Christians, we are called to walk the same path of self-giving love in service to others. Let us humbly ask God to guide us in how we can use the power and authority we have in our different roles in life, such as spouse, parent, sibling, child, employer, colleague, friend, etc., to serve those around us. When the cost of self-giving seems too much, we can turn to Jesus for strength. We ask Him for the courage and joy to walk in His footsteps of love.

Reflective question:
In light of today’s feast, do I understand the self-giving nature of Jesus’ kingship?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.