November 24, 2013 — Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
2 Sm 5: 1-3; Ps 122: 1-5; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43
“Amen, I say to you; today you will be with me in Paradise.” Are those not the words we all aspire to hear? Jesus reminds us throughout Holy Scripture that we must keep our stewardship focus on two points: Jesus Himself, and the fact that our lives lead to Eternity. It is these thrusts that should allow us to live existences of stewardship.
This Sunday is traditionally called Christ the King. Yes, we recognize Jesus’ Kingship over all the earth and all its peoples, but the Gospel points to the part of His dominion that cannot be matched by anyone else: He rules over death as well as over life. St. Catherine of Siena once said, “All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, ‘I am the way’.”
As we prepare for Advent, which begins next weekend, and as we end our liturgical year this week, we need to dedicate ourselves anew to being good stewards — to realizing that we are children of God, that Christ is our King, that we are gifted, and that we are called to share those gifts. We also need to join with the forgiven thief who was crucified next to Jesus and place our total trust in God. While we attempt to be disciples of the Lord, all we must utter is “Thank you, God” and “Lord, remember me.”
