November 25, 2012

The Solemnity of Christ the King

Read more about the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Next week, Sunday begins the first week of Advent.  I thought you might like to be ready for Advent by following a particular devotion published by Creighton University of Omaha, Neb. I hope you like it.    Read more.

Lectionary: 161

Reading 1 from the Holy Book of Daniel
Dn 7:13-14

As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;

Daniel had a vision of Jesus coming in the clouds:

Matthew 9:6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.

This was a vision of the ascension of Jesus Christ unto His throne in heaven:

Revelation 12:5
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

His dominion is an everlasting dominionthat shall not be taken away,his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Christ is God.  He is the King of Kings:

Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5

R. (1a) 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.

R. 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.

R. 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.

R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

God is eternal.  He was here before everything and will be here long after everything else is gone.

Revelation 1:8
King James Version (KJV)
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Reading 2  from St. John's book of Revelations
Rv 1:5-8

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,

Jesus Christ is the only one who has been to heaven.  He is the faithful witness because He alone has seen the face of the Father and knows and does the Father's will without deviating one inch to the right or the left:

John 3:12-14
King James Version (KJV)
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?  13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.  14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

the firstborn of the dead

He is the first born of the dead because He came in the flesh and was raised into heaven before any of us who will follow Him:

1 Corinthians 15:20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

and ruler of the kings of the earth.

He is the ruler of the Kings of the earth because He is God:

Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

This is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ.

Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.

And a prophecy that all mankind will see Him come in the clouds.  Even those who pierced Him.  Which I think means even those who have sinned against Him.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and always:

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John
Jn 18:33b-37

Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"

Jesus is before Pilate and is using a common play on words.  In Latin, Pilate would have said, "You are the King of the Jews?"  And Jesus, in essence says, "You have said that I am."  Because He ignores the inflection necessary for Pilate to make the phrase become a question.

Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?

Pilate, of course, denies that he said such a thing.

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

Then he takes Jesus comment as an admission that He considers Himself the King of the Jews.

What have you done?"

Then he asks, "What have you done that your own people want you dead?"

Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.

Jesus replies, "No, they have not accepted me as their King.  My Kingdom is in heaven and if my attendants were here, they would not permit you to let the Jews kill me."

But as it is, my kingdom is not here."

But the Kingdom of my Father is not yet established upon this earth.

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.

The same play on words is exchanged as when this conversation began.  Pilate asks whether Jesus has now admitted He is a King.  And Jesus responds that Pilate has said so.

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

This is a verse with double meaning.  Jesus says that He was born to die upon the Cross.  Pilate may not, at this point, yet know that Jesus has already prophecied what will happen to Him.

He also reveals that He is the way, the truth and the life and that all who listen to Him will be saved.

Sincerely,

De Maria