Fr. Manuel Flores, SJ
Christ the King Sunday
November 25, 2018
After telling them the story of the “prodigal son, a grade 3 teacher asked her class
“Children, who was very sad when the prodigal son returned?
A little girl confidently, loudly answered, “The fattened calf!”
Who will be sad? Who will be happy when the King returns?
That is the important question for you and me!
The Apostles Creed solemnly teaches that when Christ returns
“He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”
The preface at the mass of Christ the King gives us strong clues
about who will be sad and who will be glad:
“As king He claims dominion over all creation,
that He may present to You, His almighty Father,
an eternal and universal kingdom:
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.”
1) “A Kingdom of Truth and Life”
Murderers and liars will be finally exposed and condemned.
Jesus names the principal marks of the devil: “the devil is a murderer…and the father of lies.” (Jn 8:44)
The enemies of life, the killers and their protectors, now roam unpunished and without fear.
At the end they will face the sea of blood and mountains of corpses of their victims.
The abortionists, hitmen, killer dogs na “patay ng patay”, and the leaders who breed them
will be denied the mercy they denied their victims.
The devil and his allies have mastered the use of modern media to spread falsehood and lies.
They will be exposed, with nowhere to hide when the searing light of the King’s truth comes.
But there will be an everlasting reward for those lived to promote truth and life!
The frail voices of the truth tellers are being drowned out now,
but they will have the final word.
Those who have worked to defend and promote life
shall enjoy the fullness of life for eternity.
2) “A Kingdom of Holiness and Grace”
There will be condemnation of those who blaspheme God, a reckoning for the vulgar.
The pretentious bullies, and the foul mouthed
have corroded human decency and dialogue in our society.
At the end, like fish they shall be caught by their mouths.
But there will be everlasting reward for those who strive to reflect the holiness of God!
For those who are accused of being weak because they respect and uphold the dignity others,
The King shall fulfill His promise that “The meek shall inherit the earth” Mt 5:5
3) A Kingdom of Justice, Love, and Peace.”
There will be harsh condemnation of the unjust who crush the poor and weak in the world.
We find in the bible that more than anything else, it is injustice that breaks the heart of God.
Particularly in our country, the entire political and economic system is rigged to cheat the poor.
Increasingly, year after year, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Sirach warns the rich who cleverly presume and abuse God’s mercy:
Do not be so confident of atonement that you add sin to sin.
Do not say, “His mercy is great, He will forgive the multitude of my sins,”
for both mercy and wrath are with him, and his anger rests on sinners. Sirach 5:5-6
The unjust rich will not escape from the perfect justice of God.
Their battery of fancy lawyers and paid judges will be useless before the King.
The coiffured rich who laugh now will at the end be reunited with their lawyers and judges
in the eternal and final, biggest and hottest lawyers’ convention ever. (You know where)
But those who sought, served, and suffered for justice shall reign eternal in love and peace!
Those who died without seeing the dawn
will now joyfully find that all their sacrifices were worth it.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the mind of man conceived.
what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor 2:9
Some “Crazy Rich Asians” have heeded the cry of the poor.
Some have reached out in compassion, not only sharing, serving and sacrificing,
but working with and becoming friends of the poor.
They are the ones whom Jesus calls the “poor in spirit.”
Amazingly in Mt 5:3, Jesus lists them as number one, the very first,
in His list of the blessed!
And so it really matters not if you are rich, or Asian, or just plain crazy for God’s kingdom.
If we have labored and sacrificed with our King, if we have served His beloved poor,
we will surely eternally share in the victory, power and joy of Christ the King!
“VIVA EL CRISTO REY!”
rod fermin on November 25, 2018 AT 03 am
Superbly presented! The faithful who serves the KING while still on earth will become heirs of HIS kingdom!
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