November 23 - Feast of Christ the King: We will be judged on love

 

First Reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17 God himself will shepherd the people of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23:1-2,2-3,5-6  The Lord is our shepherd.

Second Reading
Corinthians 15:20-26,28  Because Christ has been raised from the dead, all those who have died will also be raised.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 25:31-46

On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King, we have heard the Gospel reading about the Last Judgement.  It is an extraordinary text which is not just about a future moment in history, but about the very essence of being a follower of Jesus Christ today.  It is a challenge to each of us and to our Christian community to remember that being a Christian is never just something inward looking.  The Christian life is never self-centred.  God is love and the Christian life can only be a life which reflects that love. The Christian cannot be unconcerned about or uninterested in those around us, especially those who are marginalized. We will be judged by how we have loved and especially about how we have loved not just those near and dear to us but by how we have loved the most marginal, the people with whom we would often not normally have any contact.  Christ’s kingdom will only be fully realized when our world fully witnesses to God’s kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice love and peace.