REFLECTION FOR TODAY,
November 22, 2020
By Fr. Andrew Ibegbulem, OSA
“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 separate the sheep from the goat” Matt. 25:31-32
The Solemnity of Christ the King is not something we just sit back and admire. This should envelop us, and his majesty transforms us, until we become Christ-like through his presence and power. So, this solemnity is not about pomp and ceremony but about simplicity and humility.
At the Last Judgment, Christ the King will call all the peoples of all the nations throughout the course of history to Himself and judge each person one-by-one. If you ever thought the line for confessions during Holy Week was long, just imagine what this line is going to look like!
Of course, time in the afterlife is not quite like time experienced on earth. Nonetheless, as we wait in that line, we might think that we’ll never reach the front. We might think that our time will never come. This is similar to how many of us lead our lives on earth: as if we will never die and never be judged.
In the midst of this wait, we are blessed in that we have the words of Christ to give us some idea about what this judgment will be like. Did you ever have a teacher who gave you quizzes (or even worse, tests) without giving you any idea what you were going to be examined on? Have you ever had to come up for an evaluation at work without any idea about what part of your performance would be scrutinized? Not knowing makes the experience all the more difficult.
While we’re blessed to know what our final judgment will look like, this blessing is a two-edged sword. Because we have heard the Gospel proclaimed, we’ll never be able to say that we didn’t know what God asked from us, and how our faith was meant to shape our earthly days. Jesus makes it very clear that whether we will be admitted into the Kingdom of God depends in large measure upon whether or not the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy were the measure by which we sought to love Christ the King in our needing neighbor.
As King, Jesus wants to enter our lives personally, intimately and carefully. He will never impose Himself on us but always offering Himself to be our guide. The difficulty with this type of king is that it is very easy for us to reject this kind of kingship. As King, Jesus desires to lead every aspect of our lives and lead us in all things. He desires to become the absolute ruler and monarch of our souls. He wants us to come to Him for everything and to become dependent upon Him always.
Reflect, today, upon your own embrace of Christ as King. Does He truly govern your life in every way? Do you allow Him to have complete control over your life? When this is done freely and completely, the Kingdom of God is established in your life. Let Him reign so that you can be converted, and, through you, others can come to know Him as Lord of all!
Lord, you are the sovereign King of the Universe. You are Lord of all. Come reign in my life and make my soul Your holy dwelling place. Lord, come transform our world and make it a place of true peace and justice. May Your Kingdom come! Jesus, I trust in You.