BIBLE STUDY #64
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King
November 20, 2011


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.

The Word of the Lord

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.

The Word of the Lord

GOSPEL
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."

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

We have one of the most famous judgment scenes in scripture this week. This passage comes after three parables telling us that we need to prepare ourselves
for the coming of the Son of Man. The first parable is called the “Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant” in which a servant is admonished to be about his masters business while the master is away or pay the consequences.

The second parable, which we heard two weeks ago, is called the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” in which 5 were prepared for the masters’ return and 5 were not. The ones prepared enter the wedding feast (eternal life) while the others are left outside.

The third parable, which we heard last week, is called the “Parable of the Talents”, a more specific parable telling us to use our God given abilities for the building up of the kingdom, or be thrown “into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

This weeks gospel, while not strictly a parable, is called ‘The Judgment of the Nations” and is more specific than the previous 3 parables concerning our actions while we await the second coming of Christ.

No matter what else we do in our attempt to follow Jesus, we are required to help those in need. While not an exhaustive list, we are required to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothe the naked, care for those who are ill, and visit those in prison. In other words, we are to offer to our help to anyone who is in need.

In the face of the overwhelming needs in our society and our world, it is easy to throw up our hands and give up, wondering what difference our little contribution can make.

We are not called to solve the world’s ills; that is Jesus’ job at the Second Coming. We are required to do what we can in the concrete, every day world to help those in need. Some examples: monetary donations to a charity, giving clothes to a shelter; giving food to a food bank; visiting those ill in the hospital or at home; listening to those who need to talk about their problems, struggles, dreams, or aspirations.

When we do this, we are acknowledging peoples needs, which gives them the dignity and respect they deserve. Using our time, talent and treasure to assist those in need won’t solve all their problems, but it says to them that they are important and deserving of our help. I think that giving someone dignity and respect is one of the best things we can do for them.

Jesus gives us a dire warning in this gospel. While helping those in need is a requirement for eternal life, it is not the only requirement for eternal life: prayer and sacraments, for example, would be 2 others. But, as Jesus says, not helping those in need can certainly eliminate us from eternal life.

In the first reading from Ezekiel, we are at a time when Israel is in the Babylonian captivity, some time after 587 B.C. Some of Israel’s kings have been good kings, but many have not. Most people have lost faith in the monarchy; most of the kings did not serve the people, but themselves. The kings did not “strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind the injured” (Ez 34:4). Much of Israel’s problems can be attributed to poor leadership: “So they were scattered for lack of a shepherd” (Ez 34:5). But our loving God will not abandon his people but “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” (Ez 34:11). This is a great message of hope in time of great difficulty.

In the second reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul is addressing the issue of resurrection and eternal life. In 15:12, some say that there is no afterlife. Paul says that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain (15:14). Paul is very adamant that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that there is life after death.

On this Solemnity of Christ the King, we are called to become good shepherds in imitation of the Good Shepherd by being a king like Jesus: one who serves others. We are called to witness to what we believe by what we say and do. We are called to be people of prayer and sacraments so that we build up our relationship to the Lord and have the strength and grace to live like disciples. We are called to serve the needs of others humbly and without any fanfare. If we try our best to be the best disciples we can every day, then when it is our time to leave this life and enter the next, we will hear Jesus say to us, “'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. “


Fr. Phil