DAILY- HOMILY

NOVEMBER 21, 2010
SOLEMNITY, CHRIST THE KING
34TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

SECOND SAMUEL 5:1-3
All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron and said, 'Look,
we are your own flesh and bone. In days past when Saul was our king,
it was you who led Israel on its campaigns, and to you it was that
Yahweh promised, "You are to shepherd my people Israel and be leader
of Israel." ' So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron,
and King David made a pact with them in Yahweh's presence at Hebron,
and they anointed David as king of Israel.

COLOSSIANS 1:12-20
Give thanks with joy to the Father who has made you able to share the
lot of God's holy people and with them to inherit the light. Because
that is what he has done. It is he who has rescued us from the ruling
force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he
loves, and in him we enjoy our freedom, the forgiveness of sin. He is
the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, for in
him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible
and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties,
powers -- all things were created through him and for him. He exists
before all things and in him all things hold together, and he is the
Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first-
born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way; because
God wanted all fullness to be found in him and through him to
reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on
earth, by making peace through his death on the cross.

LUKE 23:35-43
The people stayed there watching. As for the leaders, they jeered at
him with the words, 'He saved others, let him save himself if he is
the Christ of God, the Chosen One.' The soldiers mocked him too,
coming up to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, 'If you are the
king of the Jews, save yourself.' Above him there was an inscription:
'This is the King of the Jews'. One of the criminals hanging there
abused him: 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.'
But the other spoke up and rebuked him. 'Have you no fear of God at
all?' he said. 'You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case
we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done
nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into
your kingdom.' He answered him, 'In truth I tell you, today you will
be with me in paradise.'

REFLECTION
The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and
majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story
of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship
of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope
crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a
king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king
in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a
king by the exercise of his power. Is Jesus a king in this fashion?
Hardly ever. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who
suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.

And does Jesus have a kingdom? In St. Paul's view, yes. It is a
kingdom established by showing people what God is like, by exposing
the fragility of every human achievement and permanence of God's love
by contrast. It is a kingdom that builds bridges between us and our
lost innocence in God's embrace. It is not only an earthly kingdom,
but a kingdom that is in the hearts of people who know from whom they
have come, to whom they are going, and how to carry on in between.

St. Paul indicates that Jesus defeated the powers of darkness and
brought peace through the blood of his cross. Redemption and
forgiveness of sin did not come easily. Jesus had to lay down his life
for us. There can be no talk of crown and glory without the cross and
humiliation. There is no resurrection without the agony in the garden
of Gethsemane and the cross of Calvary. Jesus is the Messiah who is
rejected by the chief priests and his own people. He suffers and is
put to death. We are able to share the lot of the saints in light
because Jesus, through his death and resurrection, offers us the Light
of Life.

But we have always had trouble with a Messiah who would suffer and
die. We like the Jesus who is transfigured in glory but we find it
hard to follow this same Jesus on the road to Calvary. We are with
Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working
miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must
keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is
king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us
to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have
a king who reigns from the cross?

St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because
we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one
within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make
everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and
the bold display of power.

There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of
suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if
Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and
then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that
Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I
assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."

Christ reigns as King of heaven and earth. If we would like to share
in the Kingdom, then we have to do as Christ our King does. We have to
live in peace, die in trust and cut through all the trappings of
worldly power and desire and tackle the serious questions of life and
its values. And we have to do so not just occasionally but on a daily
basis

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Msgr. Timothy O'Donovan
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for good health:
- Marciavee Cossette
- Lydia, Kevin Francis Christian, Kwai, Pamela, Darlita, Keempee and
Godofredo Pe
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Dr. Leonardo L. Co and Dr. Dan Lagunzad
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Quinciana Guieb Fiel
- Birthday: Christine Braganza
- Birthday: Cecilia C. Escobar
- Birthday: Cynthia L. Picazo
- Birthday: Nica Enrile
- Wedding Anniversary: Philip & Louciana Sy
- In Memoriam (+): Ong Tee
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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