Reading I: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
Reading II: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. The three readings on this feast day, presents to us beautiful images of the kind of king that Christ is. The First Reading shows the king as a Good Shepherd. The Second Reading presents to us Christ as the King of kings, while the Gospel text gives us an integral picture of a Glorious king who’s at the same time the marginalized one. In the end, we get a perplexing view of a king who’s apart from the usual notion we have of a king, seated on a throne complete with golden crown and scepter.
We may have the statue or picture of Christ the King in our home, in our church. What purpose does it serve? Is it a decoration or is it a commitment to the truth that our family wants to live by the word of God? Will it inspire us to live as a family where decisions meet the Father’s will, love is given freely, service is seen as normal, concern and understanding are part of daily life, and readiness to help carry somebody’s cross is common?
The kingdom of God is not built on what impresses the world. The world creates kings or people who feel that they are more than the others because they have more. It leads to discrimination which is destructive of brotherhood. This may be the reason why God’s kingdom is not with us. If Jesus won the loyalty of his disciples, especially after the resurrection, and if so many Christians became martyrs, it must have been because they believed in the coming of God’s kingdom in Jesus, which is the giving of His life and the caring for people in their needs. They believed in Him, not because of all the beautiful truths He taught, but because He was the truth.
On behalf of Fr Anil, Deacon Cornelio Pulido, Deacon Ken Bissen and the Parish Pastoral Council, I am so grateful to God for He has graced this parish with the gift of yourselves. This was very evident during the recent Bazaar held at our parish.
Happy Feast Day to Everybody!
Efren Tomas
In 2004, Father Efren arrived on Maui, Hawaii to be the Pastor of Christ The King Catholic Church in Kahului, Maui until 2012. He calls Christ The King his home because this was his first parish in Hawaii.
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