November 23, 2008, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Today’s readings focus on the future–with the prophet Ezekiel, in the first reading, poetically describing the final and ultimate “pasturing” by God of His weary, worn sheep, having grown frustrated with the poor pasturing they’ve had to endure for centuries, nay millenia. Then, St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church is a meditation on the cosmic "end time" work of the Christ in “collecting” all that is and has ever been into His hands, and then, at the end, presenting it ALL to the Father, redeemed and whole. The Gospel assures the reader of eternal rewards at the final judgement, the “Last Accounting–though it’s a “mixed bag.” Why? Well, anyone with a mind who reads this Gospel passage, reads it with some discomfort. Look closely: those who, apparently, thought they had “salvation” sewn up by “knowing” the Lord, don’t. And those who never had a clue, never knew Who the Lord was, “get it!” As I say, it’s disconcerting. It’s probably best to read it as the story of all of us–none of us perfect–all of us having fed some people, and ignored some people, cared for some people, not bothered about others. Such is life. Perhaps the point is to encourage us to “keep at it” when the going seems especially rough. Right now, our economy is so unstable that “taking care of ourselves,” alone, is a Herculean task, so perhaps we can read the lessons, today, as a “cosmic plea” from Christ’s own lips to try a little harder to care for the frail. If the world is tough for us–with all the resources we have at our disposal–how much worse for those with less! So...let’s let that old “Catholic Guilt” (which is really simply a Higher Consciousness) grab us, yet again, and may our lives become benedictions of Goodness in our world. God bless.