Amen I Say To You, Whatever You Did For One of the Least Brothers of Mine, You Did For Me

11-26-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

On the last Sunday of each liturgical year, the Church celebrates the “Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe” or, “Christ the King.” This Solemnity was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI with his encyclical Quas Primas (in the first) as a response to growing secularism and Atheism. The Pope noted the unholy attempt by the world to “thrust Jesus Christ and His Holy Law” out of public life, and the resultant discord, distrust and injustice among people and nations. This Solemnity reminds us that while empires and governments come and go, Christ and His reign enjoy permanent duration. The Readings at the Liturgy presents Christ and His Divine reign in this light.

In the First Reading, God promised through the oracle of Ezikiel to take over leadership of His flock (Israel) from the bad shepherds whom He accused of misrule, injustice and shameless exploitation of the vulnerable. God, Himself, would be the Divine Shepherd of Israel, correct the maladministration by the deposed shepherds, and restore justice to the people. But God had earlier promised perpetual covenant kingship to David, the king after His own heart (2 Sam 7; Psalm 89). Would this new pledge of Theocratic governance cause the revocation of this covenant with David? By no means. God was going to take flesh in the family of David, the Word of God would, through the Incarnation, take flesh and be born in the house of David; this resulted in the hypostatic union where the reign of God and the eternal kingship of David would find perfect physical expression in a single person perfectly embodying both the Divine and human natures. Jesus, born in the lineage of David, the only begotten Son of God, truly reconciled the world to God, shepherding God’s universal flock and re-establishing perfect justice according to God’s will.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus predicts that He would come again to exercise His universal kingship by calling all humanity to judgment, separating the sheep from the goats, rewarding the just (sheep) with eternal life, and condemning the unjust (goats) to eternal damnation. The criteria for the classification of persons is “whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, that you did unto me” and the details conspicuously resemble the seven corporal works of mercy which every Christian is called to practice. As we come to the end of the liturgical year, Holy Mother Church reminds us that all spatiotemporal realities, to which we unfortunately dedicate too much time, treasure and talent, are created and so will ultimately cease to exist. Only Christ and His reign will enjoy permanent duration. At the end of time, we shall be called to face the Universal King in judgment and the level of our cooperation with Divine Grace in carrying out the corporal works of mercy from our hearts, with the pure motive, and without expecting reciprocation. Christ the King of the Universe is most visible in the needy who look up to us for comfort and He will certainly be a Merciful King and Judge to anyone who responds to their cry for help. May the generosity of our hands proclaim to the ends of the earth the joy of Christ’s reign in our hearts.

Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh