Lectionary: 160

Reading 1:

EZ 34:11-12, 15-17

Thus says the Lord GOD:

I myself will look after and tend my sheep.

As a shepherd tends his flock

when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,

so will I tend my sheep.

I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered

when it was cloudy and dark.

I myself will pasture my sheep;

I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. 

The lost I will seek out,

the strayed I will bring back,

the injured I will bind up,

the sick I will heal,

but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,

shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,

I will judge between one sheep and another,

between rams and goats.

Responsorial Psalm:

PS 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths

for his name's sake.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2:

1 COR 15:20-26, 28

Brothers and sisters:

Christ has been raised from the dead,

the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since death came through man,

the resurrection of the dead came also through man.

For just as in Adam all die,

so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,

but each one in proper order:

Christ the firstfruits;

then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;

then comes the end,

when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,

when he has destroyed every sovereignty

and every authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

When everything is subjected to him,

then the Son himself will also be subjected

to the one who subjected everything to him,

so that God may be all in all.

Alleluia

MK 11:9, 10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

MT 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,

and all the angels with him,

he will sit upon his glorious throne,

and all the nations will be assembled before him.

And he will separate them one from another,

as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the king will say to those on his right,

'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food,

I was thirsty and you gave me drink,

a stranger and you welcomed me,

naked and you clothed me,

ill and you cared for me,

in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him and say,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,

or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,

or naked and clothe you?

When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

And the king will say to them in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left,

'Depart from me, you accursed,

into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

a stranger and you gave me no welcome,

naked and you gave me no clothing,

ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,

and not minister to your needs?’

He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,

what you did not do for one of these least ones,

you did not do for me.’

And these will go off to eternal punishment,

but the righteous to eternal life."

My dear Holy Family family: today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. In today's readings we hear the events that will occur at the end of our earthly lives. Jesus sums up his ministry on earth by discussing how to obtain the graces needed for Heaven as well as what are known as the 4 last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell.

Beginning with the first reading in Ezekiel, God says He will look after us the way a shepherd tends his flock: At the end of time He will rescue us from every place we were scattered, and seek out the lost, bind up the crippled, strengthen the weak and bring all the scattered children back to Himself. This is certainly a hopeful vision!

The second reading from St. Paul speaks of how, at the end of time, "God may be all in all" meaning that God will reign for all eternity for those who chose to live their earthly lives in accordance with his will.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the graces for salvation come from loving and caring for the needs of others. These Corporal Works of Mercy, as they’re known, bring us the graces needed for entry to Heaven.

Jesus further explains what happens if we fall into laziness, ignore the commandments or deny God: condemnation to an eternity without Him. He tells us of the Last 4 Things.

My family, I know these last things are certainly not things we speak of in polite company. Or even impolite company, for that matter. It’s scary and it's hard. But, it's our reality, our duty as Christians, to understand these facts of life. Jesus speaks today of these last four things - death, judgement, heaven and hell - so we must know them and understand the eternal consequences of how we live our lives.

Let us take a look at each of the 4 Last Things Jesus speak of today:

1. Death. Death is when your soul separates from your body. Your soul animates your body, so the body cannot live without your soul. The soul lives forever but our bodies do not. At the Last Judgment, our souls will be re-united in Heaven with our glorified body.
2. Judgement. Right after you die, you will face judgement before God. He knows everything about you: the good, the bad, and the ugly. God is the perfect Judge, so there’s no concern that his judgements will somehow be unfair or unjust. He will determine if you should spend eternity in Heaven or Hell.
3. Heaven. Heaven is a place of eternal, loving union with God, the source of all being, goodness, and beauty, the fulfillment of every human heart. So how do you go there? Only by dying in in a state of grace without unconfessed mortal sin. If you’re wondering how Purgatory fits in here, it’s a temporary place that some people will be sent, to be purified and made ready for Heaven. Purgatory is not one of the “last things” because it’s not a final state. Everyone who enters Purgatory will eventually enter Heaven.
4. Hell. Hell is a place of eternal separation from God and punishment for our sins. All people who die in a state of unrepentant mortal sin go to Hell. Hell is a choice, a terrifying choice I cannot imagine anyone making freely, but Jesus says there are people who make this choice.

Today’s readings at the Solemnity of Christ the King are especially important as we live in a chaotic world and it’s important to keep our attention focused on reality. The readings today help us do exactly that.

In today’s world there are many sources of evil that are masked with names such as “choice” or “free will”, and many are hoodwinked into thinking some of these political or social movements may be a source of goodness and grace. How can we identify the things that do not help us in our quest for Heaven?

Let me borrow some words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a WW2-era Lutheran theologian who said that there are sources of what he called “cheap grace” and “costly grace”. Cheap grace is to be avoided at all costs and costly grace is to be sought and lived:

He said it this way: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Yes, living the path we are called upon in todays readings is hard, especially in these times of confusion and hardship. But let us not be deterred: the prospect of Heaven is always there, beckoning us to come further in grace, ever holier, ever closer to eternal life with Christ. Let us not be deterred by the confusion of the day. Let us strive for the type of grace which is the only path to our salvation - the graces that come with the cross of Christ.

Let us pray.

Lord, we hear your message that each of us will be judged by our performance of the simple works of mercy we hear in the Gospel today. We ask you to hear us knocking at the door of salvation, asking Your forgiveness and mercy for those sins we have committed in word and deed. We ask You to help us live our lives with our faith expressed by our our daily acceptance of your cross. We strive to follow You in the right paths, that the kingdom you promise might be our inheritance, that we might enter into the eternal rest promised for all who follow You. Amen.