Homily 11-21-21
Each week in our Penitential Rite, we hear “You are seated at the right hand of the Father, to intercede for us,” and we respond “Lord have mercy” In our Creed we state that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Welcome to The Feast of Christ the King!
I will freely admit that I am the first one to offer homilies in the spirit of trying to glean helpful advice on how our scriptures call us to some level of change or some notion of learning what it means to be a disciple; and I suppose that should be the case each time we gather. But today it’s not about what we’re called to do or be… No. today is about who the Lord is… Our King! Today is about his kingdom, and the table that has been prepared to welcome us all home.
This month began with our recognizing his Saints, and the souls of all the faithfully departed represented here on these cards and in our Book of the Dead, those members of this faith community who have died and have gone to their rest. Soon, our Columbarium will open, and we will be honored to be a part of caring for those who are resting there and providing a place for their families to come to remember and visit.
As we recall at every funeral, when we lay to rest the ones we love…
Our brother (sister) has gone to [their] rest in the peace of Christ. May the Lord now welcome [them] to the table of God’s children in heaven. With faith and hope in eternal life, let us assist him [them] with our prayers.
In just A few moments, Fr. will receive gifts of bread and wine and prepare them to become our Lord’s body and blood. In accepting these gifts we will hear this special preface to our Eucharistic Prayer…
For you anointed your Only Begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness
as eternal Priest and King of all creation,
so that, by offering himself on the altar of the Cross
as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace,
he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption,
and, making all created things subject to his rule,
he might present to the immensity of your majesty
an eternal and universal kingdom,
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
Jesus is Lord, The King of All Creation…
For you anointed your Only Begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness
as eternal Priest and King of all creation,
From First Reading (Daniel 7:13,14)
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed…
With this passage, the “Son of Man” becomes a working title of sorts for Jesus in the Gospel as he is represented (as opposed to the worldly definition) to be the King of God’s Kingdom, in human form! The phrase “Jesus is Lord” is very common to us in these days and times, and it is used as a spiritual proclamation. In the early Church of the First Century it was also used in a very challenging fashion to counter the Roman Government as it was very common to refer to Caesar as Lord. Proclaiming Jesus as Lord, or anyone else other than Caesar, was a problem, and some time punishable by death. Saying Caesar is Lord was a proof of loyalty. Saying Jesus is Lord directly challenged Caesar and his power, so it should not be too surprising that Paul spent much of his ministry in jail, and all but one of the Apostles were martyred, and that the Church was persecuted for three centuries.. From the beginning, the faith that we profess here was as Bishop Robert Barron called it, “was a troublemaking faith.” This of course begs the comparison to our world today… Are we once again discouraged in our world today from proclaiming Jesus as Lord?
Sacrifice & Redemption…
As the preface prayer continues,
Jesus offered himself on the altar of the Cross
as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace,
[so that] he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption,
and, making all created things subject to his rule,
From the Second Reading (Revelation 1:5)
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen
We hear the word “freed” in today’s reading, but sometimes the word “washed” is used, as we are “washed clean in the blood of the Lamb!”
The Kingdom of God…
The preface concludes as it asks that Christ
present to the immensity of GOD’s majesty
an eternal and universal kingdom,
Each week in our Penitential Rite, we hear “You are seated at the right hand of the Father, to intercede for us,” and we respond “Lord have mercy” In our Creed we state that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Welcome to The Feast of Christ the King!
I will freely admit that I am the first one to offer homilies in the spirit of trying to glean helpful advice on how our scriptures call us to some level of change or some notion of learning what it means to be a disciple; and I suppose that should be the case each time we gather. But today it’s not about what we’re called to do or be… No. today is about who the Lord is… Our King! Today is about his kingdom, and the table that has been prepared to welcome us all home.
This month began with our recognizing his Saints, and the souls of all the faithfully departed represented here on these cards and in our Book of the Dead, those members of this faith community who have died and have gone to their rest. Soon, our Columbarium will open, and we will be honored to be a part of caring for those who are resting there and providing a place for their families to come to remember and visit.
As we recall at every funeral, when we lay to rest the ones we love…
Our brother (sister) has gone to [their] rest in the peace of Christ. May the Lord now welcome [them] to the table of God’s children in heaven. With faith and hope in eternal life, let us assist him [them] with our prayers.
In just A few moments, Fr. will receive gifts of bread and wine and prepare them to become our Lord’s body and blood. In accepting these gifts we will hear this special preface to our Eucharistic Prayer…
For you anointed your Only Begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness
as eternal Priest and King of all creation,
so that, by offering himself on the altar of the Cross
as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace,
he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption,
and, making all created things subject to his rule,
he might present to the immensity of your majesty
an eternal and universal kingdom,
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
Jesus is Lord, The King of All Creation…
For you anointed your Only Begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness
as eternal Priest and King of all creation,
From First Reading (Daniel 7:13,14)
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed…
With this passage, the “Son of Man” becomes a working title of sorts for Jesus in the Gospel as he is represented (as opposed to the worldly definition) to be the King of God’s Kingdom, in human form! The phrase “Jesus is Lord” is very common to us in these days and times, and it is used as a spiritual proclamation. In the early Church of the First Century it was also used in a very challenging fashion to counter the Roman Government as it was very common to refer to Caesar as Lord. Proclaiming Jesus as Lord, or anyone else other than Caesar, was a problem, and some time punishable by death. Saying Caesar is Lord was a proof of loyalty. Saying Jesus is Lord directly challenged Caesar and his power, so it should not be too surprising that Paul spent much of his ministry in jail, and all but one of the Apostles were martyred, and that the Church was persecuted for three centuries.. From the beginning, the faith that we profess here was as Bishop Robert Barron called it, “was a troublemaking faith.” This of course begs the comparison to our world today… Are we once again discouraged in our world today from proclaiming Jesus as Lord?
Sacrifice & Redemption…
As the preface prayer continues,
Jesus offered himself on the altar of the Cross
as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace,
[so that] he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption,
and, making all created things subject to his rule,
From the Second Reading (Revelation 1:5)
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen
We hear the word “freed” in today’s reading, but sometimes the word “washed” is used, as we are “washed clean in the blood of the Lamb!”
The Kingdom of God…
The preface concludes as it asks that Christ
present to the immensity of GOD’s majesty
an eternal and universal kingdom,
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
From the Gospel (John 18: 35,37):
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world…
“You say King… For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Once again Jesus seeks to establish that he is indeed King, but that our understanding of that worldly role does not compare, for the Kingdom of God (as the Prayer states) is unlike the world, as it is a place with true holiness and grace, justice, love and peace.
So let us dwell on the majesty of God’s kingdom, with Christ as our King!
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
From the Gospel (John 18: 35,37):
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world…
“You say King… For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.
Once again Jesus seeks to establish that he is indeed King, but that our understanding of that worldly role does not compare, for the Kingdom of God (as the Prayer states) is unlike the world, as it is a place with true holiness and grace, justice, love and peace.
So let us dwell on the majesty of God’s kingdom, with Christ as our King!
- Let us bring Jesus, our Lord, into our hearts, for he sacrificed himself so that all might gain entry into that kingdom!
- Let us prioritize the role that holiness and grace plays in our everyday life, so that we might recognize it in the kingdom that is to come.
- And let us live in with one another in a spirit of justice, love and peace as we walk into Advent next week, to once again prepare our world for the coming of the Lord!
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