New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Christ the King Sunday: Year A
Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46:
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34)
Again, the “king” language is used. So, I use it too. We, Americans fought a war to rid ourselves of being under a king. Therefore, we probably have negative feelings about being under a king, even today. But I would call our attention to the kind of kingdom God is calling us to.
It is a kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. It is a kingdom of rest and peace. It is a kingdom of “no more tears.” Right now we live in a world of both metaphorical sheep and goats; of wheat and chaff. But at the Resurrection, there will be a great separation. Those who have self-identified as sheep by a life of self-denial, (not just for the sake of self-denial) but, in order to serve others, will be placed on the right side of God Almighty, which is where our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ resides. It will be a wonderful place with a never-ending table of nourishment and comfort. Let those who have ears listen, learn; love and live.
What we must notice in this Gospel reading is that of all that is remembered about the sheep; their giving of food, their giving of drink, their clothing of the naked, and their visiting the sick or incarcerated, is, that they are never proclaimed sheep because of what they say they believe.
What we say we believe is lived out, not just talked out. And, as Christians, if our talk is about our Lord Jesus, there is no excuse of “I didn’t know it was you Lord.” Every person we encounter is Jesus to us. This means that persons who do not outwardly claim to be Christian but who feed the hungry, give drink to those who thirst, clothe the naked, visit the incarcerated or infirmed, are as much sheep as any practicing Christian, and in some cases, maybe even more.
Some act as sheep because it is the setting of their moral compass. They are not behaving this way for a future reward, but they are going to receive it because the King of kings will see them as the sheep they are and He will say to them, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
When we hear their invitation to the Kingdom, we can’t become the Prodigal brother’s elder brother and be jealous because they are with us. We are not to be an us – them people. We have Jesus in our lives in order that we might repent and recalibrate our own moral compass and become His sheep as well.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 