Community Word: Jesus our Sovereign King is our hope of glory.
Order: “…direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ…” (2 Thes 3:5)
Reflection:
Our community word for November – Jesus our Sovereign King is our hope of glory, presents our God as the Holy and Sovereign Ruler of the ages through Jesus Christ. This truth draws our hearts to an awe-inspired worship and unshakable confidence in the fact that God’s will cannot be thwarted. There is no wisdom, power nor authority which stands superior to God’s. In all things, He alone is Sovereign. In every hour, He alone is victor, holy, unspeakable, immortal, unchanging, and excellent. Our God is working all things according to His good and perfect will. Even now, we know that for those who love God all things are working together for their good.
The confidence of our faith is anchored in the reality that our God reigns in perfection over every season, every trial, and every heart. No one can change His plan. What He promised shall always come to pass. He is truly Lord of all. Our Lord Jesus, who came in obedience and who died for us, through Him all plans of the Father came to be. He is the Sovereign King, our hope of glory. He glorifies the place where He dwells even for a moment. If Christ comes into our heart His whole court comes with Him and we rejoice to have Him as our Holy Guest. People who value and love Him cannot be happy without Him.
This indwelling constitutes “the hope of glory” for every disciple. Jesus is the glory of God, and He shines in our hearts so that we see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Christ alone is our firm foundation, the blessed hope in the future. The fact that we now have Christ in us is the pledge of final glory when He returns and then we will share in the full manifestation of God’s glory in Christ.
As we end this liturgical year, let us reflect on this month’s beautiful readings which will help us understand our faith journey towards our goal of eternal life with God.
For the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, the theme is: Our hope of glory is in Jesus our King when we repent and make reparation for our sins. Zacchaeus was a corrupt tax collector, a hated person in community. He was determined to see Jesus who was known to welcome tax collectors and sinner. When Jesus came by, being short in stature, he climbed a sycamore tree so as not to miss this opportunity of seeing Him. Jesus stopped, looked up and told Zacchaeus that He will stay at his house that day. But it was in fact Jesus who was ready to receive Zacchaeus even if he was a sinner, an enemy of the people. The conversion of Zacchaeus began at this moment. He repented of his wrongdoing and immediately decided to give half of his possession to those whom he cheated, making reparation four times over for the fraud he was guilty of. Jesus forgave him as He declared: “Today, salvation has come to this house,” (Lk 19:9). Like Zacchaeus, when we genuinely repent of our wrongdoings, make reparation for our sins and be transformed, we can be assured of our glory in Jesus Christ. We are given this promise of hope in Psalm 145:14 – “The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.”
The theme for the 32ndSunday in Ordinary Time is: Our hope of glory is in Jesus our King when we patiently endure our sufferings for the Kingdom. In life, suffering will always be present, but God gives us grace and power to overcome every trial and to fulfil our purpose and mission in His Kingdom. In his 2nd letter to Timothy, St. Paul reminds us how we can endure suffering as a result of our testimony to our faith, when we are rejected, left alone, or as a consequence to our fleshly, worldly desires. No one enjoys suffering; but it is necessary, normal fact of the Christian life. Scripture says we can expect hardships and trials to increase our faith, so we must be spiritually prepared for them. As Christians, we believe that our patient endurance to our earthly suffering has its recompense in heaven where we will live forever in perfect relationship with God and with each other among the angels and saints. We hope for this glory with Christ our King as we claim this promise: “…the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one,”(2 Thes 3:3).
For the 33rdSunday in Ordinary Time, the theme is: Our hope of glory is in Jesus our King when we persevere in our faith. This week, we are exhorted to be steadfast in our faith as we journey in the road less travelled, in the face of many obstacles, trials and oppressions. Jesus warns that his followers will be met with oppositions in their belief. But it is also an opportunity to testify to God’s wisdom and power. Jesus assures us that even in times of trouble God is present. We are exhorted to follow His example of trusting in God’s mercy and protection when we experience difficulties in life. Perseverance in the face of persecution leads us to salvation, as Jesus gives us this promise: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives,” (Lk21:19). Therefore, we must persevere in living our faith to the very end, through righteousness and in imitation of Jesus. Let us pray for one another with the intercession of our Blessed Mother that, we will persist in our faith and embrace our hope for the glory of Christ to come.
Finally, as we end this liturgical year, we are given the following theme for the Solemnity of Christ the King: Our hope of glory is in Jesus our King when we believe in the promise of eternal life. The promise of eternal life is beautifully explained by Jesus in John 14: 1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places…And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” Eternal life is life with God in heaven. As God is eternal so also will our life with Him be. If we truly love Jesus, nothing can separate us from His love and the love of His Father in heaven. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through Christ (cf. Jn 14:6). Therefore, if we place our trustin Jesus Christ the King, we will merit this wonderful gift of everlasting glory in God’s Kingdom. Eternal life is the end-goal and purpose of our Christian journey. Jesus does not delay His promise of eternal life to us if we believe in Him and live a righteous life. Just as He assured the dying thief on the cross, we are given that same promise when He said:“…you will be with me in Paradise,” (Lk 22:43).
Christ is our only hope for glory. Does Christ our Sovereign King dwell in your heart? Let us then listen to St. Paul’s exhortation: “…direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ…” (2 Thes 3:5). God wants all of us to go to heaven. Such is the reason why Jesus came to seek the lost. Amen.
