The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe/Year A/ End of the Church Year 25/26 November 2017 (Incense will be used) Our Lady of Victory Parish Community HOMILY 1 st Reading: Ezekiel 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 sheet, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place... I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest,... 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,... I will jjdge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats... Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23 Sung 2 nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28 - Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.... For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order:... Christ... 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.
Page 2 - The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the GOSPEL: MATTHEW 25:31-46 - When the Son of Man comes in his glory,.... 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..... Then the king wills 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,... 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.... Lord, when did we see you hungry... thirsty... stranger... naked... ill... in prison... 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,... For I was hungry and you gave me no food,... thirsty... no drink... stranger... no welcome.... naked... no clothing... ill and in prison... not care for me. Lord, when did we see you... Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.... these... off to eternal punishment... righteous to eternal life.
Page 3 - The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the I. These are highly charged readings, taking us through a whole host of emotions and feelings... We begin with the Prophet Ezekiel... who starts out with that always comforting image of God as not just any shepherd... but the shepherd... who lovingly and with great care tends the flock of Israel... stepping in to rescue all who are scattered... providing for them... and going so far as to seek out the lost... bring back the strayed... bind up the injured... heal the sick... but then... THEN it changes... Still, as the shepherd... there will also be judgment by this same shepherd... The sleek and strong... those who have not been faithful to the covenant... faithful to those entrusted to their care... they will be destroyed... And while the reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians doesn t use this judgment language, Saint Paul does remind us that Jesus life, death and resurrection has set into motion a dynamic that cannot be stopped, the conclusion of which will happen only when all that is opposed to the kingdom entrusted to Christ is destroyed and subjected to him... so that God may be all in all.
Page 4 - The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the But Matthew s Gospel picks back up on where the Prophet Ezekiel left off... with an image that Jesus provides of the end times... the time when He, the Son of Man... returns in his glory... the final return... the last and most determining judgment of God... If we find this disturbing to consider... if we find this frightening... perhaps even counter to all those other images we have of God... of Jesus Christ, Son of God... compassionate, caring shepherd... dispenser of Divine Mercy that is beyond our human imagination... then, the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished... at least, in part... what Christ intends it to accomplish... then... and now. For this image that Jesus speaks of in Matthew s Gospel serves as a call to action... a call to choice... for all who will ever claim Him as Lord and Savior. This image that Jesus speaks of in Matthew s Gospel is the clearest and most direct position description we, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, will ever be given... for it describes how a true believer lives out their life until the Son of Man comes in his glory. II. To fully understand what Jesus is laying out for the faithful disciple... for you... for me... for others... we need to understand and accept fully just what is meant by the word least in this Scripture Passage...
Page 5 - The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the We are accustomed to viewing the word least as something that is less than... something... or in the case of the Gospel, perhaps, someone But Jesus unequivocally states that is not the case... for whatever you did for one of the least... you did for me.... You did... for Jesus... Jesus, who is eternally the more we long for. This judgment is not going to be made based on how well we love those that we like, but rather on how we love those who are difficult to love... those who have no predetermined nor easy claim on our love... the least... the least with whom Christ is especially aligned with... This judgment will be made based on how we have provided food for the hungry... given drink to the thirsty... welcomed the stranger... clothed the naked... cared for the ill and visited those in prison... Still, we are reminded that these basic human needs go beyond the seemingly physical... for Christ s judgment will be made based on the food and drink of acceptance we provide to those who hunger and thirst for acceptance and respect... those ignored
Page 6 - The Vigil/Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the or shunned by others... the geeky kid at school... the cranky neighbor... This judgment will be made based on how we have helped to provide the clothing of care, comfort and compassion to any who suffer the coldness of isolation or rejection... those who have been imprisoned by gossip, rumor, stereotype... simply because they may act different... appear to be different... This is the position description of the disciple... yours... mine... Now is the time to re-assess our performance, and, if necessary, make the changes necessary, knowing that: whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me....