Next Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King Year B
BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS
Saint Peter's Square
Sunday, 26 November 2006
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this last Sunday of the liturgical year we are celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King. Today's Gospel proposes to us anew part of the dramatic questioning to which Pontius Pilate subjected Jesus when he was handed over to him, accused of usurping the title, "King of the Jews".
Jesus answered the Roman governor's questions by declaring that he was a king, but not of this world (cf. Jn 18: 36). He did not come to rule over peoples and territories but to set people free from the slavery of sin and to reconcile them with God. And he added: "For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice" (Jn 18: 37).
But what is the "truth" that Christ came into the world to witness to? The whole of his life reveals that God is love: so this is the truth to which he witnessed to the full with the sacrifice of his own life on Calvary.
The Cross is the "throne" where he manifested his sublime kingship as God Love: by offering himself in expiation for the sin of the world, he defeated the "ruler of this world" (Jn 12: 31) and established the Kingdom of God once and for all. It is a Kingdom that will be fully revealed at the end of time, after the destruction of every enemy and last of all, death (cf. I Cor 15: 25-26). The Son will then deliver the Kingdom to the Father and God will finally be "everything to everyone" (I Cor 15: 28).
The way to reach this goal is long and admits of no short cuts: indeed, every person must freely accept the truth of God's love. He is Love and Truth, and neither Love nor Truth are ever imposed: they come knocking at the doors of the heart and the mind and where they can enter they bring peace and joy. This is how God reigns; this is his project of salvation, a "mystery" in the biblical sense of the word: a plan that is gradually revealed in history.
The Virgin Mary was associated in a very special way with Christ's kingship. God asked her, a humble young woman of Nazareth, to become Mother of the Messiah and Mary responded to this request with her whole self, joining her unconditional "yes" to that of her Son, Jesus, and making herself obedient with him even in his sacrifice. This is why God exalted her above every other creature and Christ crowned her Queen of Heaven and earth.
Let us entrust the Church and all humanity to her intercession, so that God's love can reign in all hearts and his design of justice and peace be fulfilled.
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Wisdom 18: 14 - 16; 19: 6 - 9 14 For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, 15 thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a ...
Wisdom 13: 1 - 9 1 For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists, nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works; 2 but ...
Wisdom 7: 22 -- 8:1 22 for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, 23 beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, ...
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Wisdom 2: 23 - 24:9 -- 3:9 23 for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, 24 but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it. 3:1 But the souls ...
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In the name of Jesus there is salvation and through no other name under heaven are we saved. Jesus, the one who was rejected and crucified is the cornerstone.
Acts 4:8-12
Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
1 Jn 3:1-2
Jn 10:11-18
Jesus, the good shepherd…
…who lay down his life for his children in order to take it up again has concern for his sheep.
Resonsorial Psalm – Ps 118:22 – The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
We are children of God and he knows us and all of our needs. When the wolf comes, he doesn’t abandon us. Without Jesus, when the wolf comes we are scattered, left alone and uncared for.
We give thanks and abide in him who saves.
Prayer: Jesus, keeps us within the fold of your Church.
When the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob walked the earth, people denied him, handed him over, and murdered him. This Jesus, the only Son of God was glorified and is now with us until the end of time. Even to the people closest to him, he was not recognized. Thomas didn’t recognize Jesus until he touched his wounds. After Jesus rose, the disciples at first were afraid, thinking they were seeing a ghost. At first their eyes were prevented from recognizing him until Jesus broke the bread, blessed it, and gave it to them.
Resonsorial Psalm – Ps 4:7 – Lord, let your face shine upon me.
With eyes wide opened, we ask Jesus to free us from sin. How can you really know him if you don’t keep his commandments? When you know and keep his word, his love is truly perfected in you. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
Open our eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.
Do not be troubled. The Father sent his spirit of truth and love into the world. The spirit guides us in peace. Therefore do not be afraid. It is not a ghost they saw. A ghost could not eat fish with them. Nor do we believe that Jesus in our lives is a hoax or a fairy tale.
We believe he is truly present and we hope that we recognize his presence in our lives.
The Apostles who bore witness to the resurrection belonged to a community of believers who all were of one accord. They had such trust that they sold all they owned and lay all they had at the feet of the apostles to be distributed according to the need.
There was no needy person among them. The early Christians had a sense of responsibility to assist one another. You could say that they showed great “mercy”. One definition of the word mercy is an “alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed”.
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Resonsorial Psalm – Ps 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.
Indeed his mercy endures forever.
John 5:1-6
This is the one who came through water and blood,
Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and blood.
The Spirit is the one that testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
In John 20:19-31 Jesus confers the authority on the apostles to bind and loose sins by breathing on them and saying “receive the Holy Spirit”.
”Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” It is here that Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession and why, although God alone forgives sins, it is necessary to confess sins to a priest and receive absolution.
At first, Thomas did not believe it until he touched the wounds of Christ. But, soon after, Thomas became a beyond the shadow of a doubt believer. The response of Thomas was “the Lord and my God”.
Seeing is believing. But, it takes true faith to believe in something that is not seen. “The Lord and My God”.
Divine Mercy in Song…
In moments of doubt, we can reflect upon Thomas the Apostle and come to believe. We won’t have the opportunity to touch the wounds of Jesus in our earthly lives. But, we do have the example of Thomas. During times of doubt, we can remember how his strong doubt was replaced with undeniable belief. We are blessed that we have the faith of those who have not seen but still believe.
This is the one who came through water and blood, 