Community Word : Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, reigns in the heart of those who are faithful to Him.
Order : “Everyone who belongs to the truth, listens to my voice.” (Jn 18: 37)
Reflection:
Who reigns in your heart today? Our community word for the month of November puts emphasis on the Truth that Jesus Christ is the King of the universe, and He must reign in our hearts and allow Him to take full control of our lives, if we are to be faithful to Him. He is our only hope during this difficult time of the pandemic because He is not only king of the Church, but of the whole universe.
Before Pilate, Jesus declared that His Kingdom is beyond any kingdoms of this world and that He “came into the world to testify to the truth,” (Jn 18:37). Knowing that He was being falsely accused, He testified, “Everyone who belongs to the truth, listens to my voice.” Jesus is the only Truth. In Revelations 1:5, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.” He is our Savior and has given us the Kingdom of God, the “Alpha and the Omega…the one who is and who was and is to come, the almighty,” (Rev 1:8).
As we are ending the present liturgical year with the Solemnity of Christ the King, we are exhorted to believe in Jesus, our King, to obey and listen to Him through the readings during the month of November.
The 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time gives us a theme on generosity – Those who are faithful to Christ the King give generously without reservation. Giving without counting the cost is what Jesus did for us on the cross. He gave us His all and His life for our salvation. We learn a lesson of all-giving from the widows illustrated in this Sunday’s readings. What compelled the widow in the 1st reading to share her last piece of bread, and the widow in the gospel of Mark to give all of her two small coins which was everything she owned? They listened to the voice from within that stirred their faith in God, for they know that the Almighty will take care of them. Like the two widows, let us likewise pray to the Lord to grant us a generous heart that reaches out in love, that we may receive God’s promise, “The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free.” (Ps 146: 7)
The theme for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time teaches us the importance of vigilance and preparedness – Those who are faithful to Christ the King vigilantly prepare for His coming. Do we set our eyes on the things of the world, or do we set our eyes on what is above? We all know that what the world offers is just temporary, while what God offers is eternity. Although the Lord allows us to experience this short-lived satisfaction while on earth, He will not let us tread the wrong path for long. He wills for us to live out our lives in His love so that we may be prepared for His coming, when He comes back to bring us to His eternal Kingdom. As soon as we see things in His perspective, we are bound to receive this promise, “You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.” (Ps 16:1)
On the third week, we celebrate the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ who is King of the Universe. And our theme tells us – Those who are faithful to Christ the King listen to Him and testify to the truth. As His faithful followers, we are all called to listen and testify to Jesus who is Truth Himself. The truth that Jesus testifies to is that God loves us and has freed us from our sins by His precious blood. To belong to the truth then means to belong to Jesus as His disciples, for He himself is the Truth, the Way and the Life.
Jesus’ kingship is far different from our perception of what a king of this world is. Jesus hid His majesty and glory, and people did not even recognize Him because He came as a humble servant king, not as a powerful earthly ruler. He is the King of love and peace. He came to serve, not to be served. He is the sacrificial offering, the Lamb of God. Yet, he calls us to reign with Him. When we listen to His voice and accept His Truth, we will one day see the true Ruler of the Universe and reap the promise, “Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him…” (Rev 1: 7a)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we acknowledge You as our universal King and Ruler of all nations. We pray that you protect us and our families from our enemies. Make us worthy to face You in the last judgement and be ready to enter into Your heavenly Kingdom. Have mercy on us and forgive our disobedience and sinfulness. We come and bow before You, our Lord and King. May Your Kingdom and Your reign be recognized throughout the earth. Amen.