Sunday November 24th: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
St. Francis Parish | November 20, 2019, 7:48 pm | Reflections
As we come to the end of our Liturgical Year, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We are reminded of the mercy and forgiveness of Our Lord as despite this incredibly barbaric act against Him, Jesus still forgives those who play a role in the carrying out of His crucifixion saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (LK 23:34) In today’s Gospel, Luke 23:35-43 tells us of the two thieves who are crucified with Him. Inspired by the jeers of the soldiers toward Jesus, one of the thieves joins in saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The second thief rebukes the first saying, “we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then, after asking Jesus to remember him, Jesus says in reply, “today you will be with me in Paradise.”
In this time of Thanksgiving, what could possibly be more deserving of our thanks than the ultimate sacrifice Our Lord paid on The Cross? In this incredibly selfless act, Jesus laid down His life for each of us; to save us from our sins and to open up the Gates of Heaven. As told in His forgiveness of the repentant thief, we are reminded of how we too may be forgiven of our own sin. Let us take care however to avoid waiting until our last moments to ask Jesus to remember us.
Just as Jesus gave His life for us, we are called to give our lives for Him. This of course does not mean literally but it means that our lives on earth must be lived entirely for the building of the Kingdom of God. All the gifts and blessings we receive are granted to us for carrying out this call. At this time and always, let us show our thanks for these blessings through our giving back to God through charity and in our support of The Church’s mission to evangelize and to care for all His children.