Christ the King

Listening to the Spirit

Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before you. We are yours, and yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with you, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to your Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known you; many, too, despising your precepts, have rejected you. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to your Sacred Heart.

Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken you, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned you; grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Grant, O Lord, to your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility and order to all nations; and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation. To it be glory and honor forever. AMEN!

* Note: This Act of Dedication should be prayed by all after Holy Communion. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is recited publicly.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 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.”

Reflection

The Gospel presents a particular image of the "Son of Man" during the final judgment. He will come as King who identifies Himself with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and prisoner. The judgment criteria are the actions taken to do something for those to whom the King is identified.

This text echoes the passage of the last week. The Master entrusted three servants with His riches; however, one did nothing and buried the talents. The problem is that he did nothing. This also will be the judging criteria; those who did nothing will be judged according to their actions.

The year 2020 has been an unusual year full of painful and unforgettable events. The pandemic of Covid-19 struck the world, and lately, calamities happened in the Philippines. More people went hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and prisoner because of these events. In this context, we're celebrating the solemnity of Christ the King.

Therefore, today's solemnity is a reminder of what matters in the Christian's life; we need to see our King on the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and prisoner. If we add burying the dead, we'll have the seven corporal works of Mercy. May we grow more sensitive to the needs of our neighbor and practice the corporal works of Mercy.