The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
1. The Stranger Was You, Lord 2. Have You Met Me in the Poor?
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Greeting (See First Reading)
All praise to the Lord who says:
”I shall look for the lost one,
bring back the stray,
bandage the wounded
and make the weak strong.”
May this compassionate Lord be always with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
1. The Stranger Was You, Lord
Today we conclude the Church Year with the celebration of Christ, our Shepherd King. He came as our Good Shepherd and entrusted us to one another. When he will come to evaluate our life and how much it is worth in his eyes and in ours, he will ask us: Have you cared for one another, have you served, especially the poor and the weak? This is not only a matter of serving other people: it is also serving God, for the neighbor in need is no other than Christ himself. It is therefore an act of deep faith. In this Eucharist we ask the Lord for generous love and faith.
2. Have You Met Me In The Poor?
In a grandiose vision the Church year ends with the celebration of Christ the King, and next Sunday the Church’s new year starts with Advent. Matthew presents to us the scene of Christ our Lord coming as a king in judgment. This scene is the counterpart of the beatitudes, where the poor and the suffering were called blessed. At the judgment the Lord will ask us: “What have you done for the poor and those who weep?” Jesus shows himself here not only as close to the poor and the humble, but he is himself the gentle, the sick, the persecuted. He asks us: “Have you met me in them?” What do we answer him?
Penitential Act
If we had only recognized the Lord
in the gentle, the humble and the persecuted!
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you looked for the lost ones,
you bandaged the wounded and made the weak strong:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you came to gather together
those scattered in the mist and darkness:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you identified
with the hungry and the sick,
with strangers and with those in prison:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Make us serve you in people,
that you may bless us
and take us into everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
May we share in the Lord’s kingship
by serving him in the poor and the humble
(PAUSE)
God, Father of the poor,
your Son Jesus was born among us
poor, humble and dependent.
Open our eyes and our hearts and our hands
to honor him now as our Lord and King
by welcoming him in those who are hungry and thirsty,
in all who are abandoned and lonely,
in refugees, in the poor and the sick.
Let our love become free and spontaneous,
like the tenderness you have shown us in your Son.
Welcome us in the everlasting Kingdom
prepared for us through Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading
God, the Shepherd King: As Israel’s kings have failed their people, God himself will lead them as a shepherd who cares for his flock.
Indeed, the Lord declares this: I, myself, will care for my sheep and watch over them.
As the shepherd cares for his flock when he finds them scattered, so will I watch over my sheep; and gather them from all the places where they were scattered during times of cloud and fog.I will bring them out from the nations and collect them from other countries.
I, myself, will tend my sheep and let them rest, says the word of the Lord.
I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the fat and strong will be removed.I will shepherd my flock with justice.
As for you, my flock—says the Lord—I will separate one sheep from another and set apart rams and goats.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading
Christ Must Reign: Christ was the first to rise from the dead. His power of resurrection is at work in this world through those who belong to Christ. At the end, Christ will present his kingdom to the Father.
But no, Christ has been raised from the dead, and he is victorious over all who have fallen asleep.
A human being brought death; a human being also brings the resurrection of the dead.
For, as in Adam all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive.
However, each one in his own time: first Christ, then Christ’s people when he comes.
Then, the end will come when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule, authority, and power.
For he must reign and put all enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed will be death.
When the Father has subjected everything to him, the Son will place himself under the One who subjected everything to him. From then on, God will be all in all.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Christ will judge us by our love for people: Jesus is not only close to the poor. In the destitute and the suffering, we encounter the Lord himself.
The Judgment of the Nations
When the Son of Man arrives in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on his throne of glory.
All the nations will be brought before him; and just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
The king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.
For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me into your home. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to see me.
Then the righteous will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you something to drink;
or a stranger and welcome you; or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to see you?’
The king will reply, ‘Truly, I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink;
I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.
They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, or a stranger, sick, or in prison, and did not help you?’
The king will reply, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, into eternal life.
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for all those who need our compassion and care, for all those who commit themselves to the poorest and for those who are afraid to be involved. Let us say: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
– For all who have lost their way in life we cry out to you to make the Church welcome them and give them you and your Good News to live for, we pray: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
– With all people driven from their homes, with the many victims of war and civil strife, with all strangers living in foreign lands, we cry out that people may be hospitable to them, and so we pray: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
– With all those who hunger for food, who thirst for justice, who crave for human dignity, we cry out that we may hear your voice in them, and so we pray: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
– With all those who care for the sick and the handicapped, with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, we cry out that we may recognize you in those who need affectionate, loving care. And so we pray: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
– With all those who are imprisoned because of their convictions, with all those who are persecuted; who are prisoners of their hatred, their greed or their failings, we ask you to free them, and so we pray: R/ Lord, make us serve you in people.
The voices that cry out to us, the eyes that plead with us, may we recognize you in them Lord, and love you in them. Be near to us, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Father in heaven,
this is the bread you give us
to share with the poor
and here is the wine you wish us to drink
with all who have forgotten what joy is.
In these signs let your Son Jesus come among us
and give us the love and the strength
to meet him in all who hunger and thirst
for food and affection,
in all that is little and insecure.
Let this be the sacrifice you accept
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
As the people who belong to Christ, we recognize him as the King of the universe, the Savior and the Judge of all. With him we give thanks to the Father and commit ourselves to his kingdom.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
With Jesus our Lord,
who will hand the kingdom to the Father,
we pray to God that this kingdom
may become a reality among us. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from every evil,
and grant us your peace in our day.
Keep us free from sin,
that on the day of judgment
we may stand before you without fear
and that already we may look forward
with hope and joy
to the full coming among us
of our Judge and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Risen Lord
and King of the universe.
Happy are we to eat his bread of life now
and to be invited as the blessed ones
called to inherit the kingdom
prepared for us since the creation of the world.
R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Father in heaven, in this Eucharist
we have given thanks and praise to you
and acclaimed your Son Jesus Christ
as the Lord and king of our lives.
By the strength of his bread of life
may we go his royal way of loyalty to you
and service to one another.
Gather us together as your holy people,
and without claiming to be your kingdom,
let us be to the world
at least the humble sign of it,
until you take us into your home of peace and joy
through our King who became the servant of all,
Jesus Christ our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ
as our Lord and King.
Our mission in life is
to make his kingdom a reality among us
and to bring it to those around us
by our words and deeds.
The way to do this is to live as he lived:
for others, in love and service.
May almighty God bless you for this task:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
and to give shape to his kingdom. R/ Thanks be to God.
REFLECTIONS
Life is a time of choices – make great ones!
Matthew 25:31-46
Today, we conclude the Church Year by celebrating Christ, our Shepherd King. He came as our Good Shepherd and entrusted us to one another. As he evaluates our life and its value in his eyes and ours, he will ask is this: Have you taken care of one another, have you served, especially the poor and the weak? We are not only serving other people here: we are also serving God, for Christ himself is our neighbor in need.
Pope Francis in his message for the World Day of Migrants, wrote: “Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the unwelcomed and rejected strangers of every age.”
The Word of God invites us to care for those strangers who are sick, helpless, homeless and stranded in a strange land. Amid these uncertainties and acts of violence, the voice of Jesus revibrates in our ears – “I am there! When you did this for the stranger, the sick, the homeless, you did it for me.’
We are created to make God’s dreams come true in this world. The works of mercy are the most beautiful works in life, because they give glory to God more than anything else. At the end of our lives, we will be judged not for the sins we have committed because our God forgives; rather, we will be judged based on our works of mercy. The judgment scene in the Gospel was based on what was done and what was not done.
Life is a time for making robust, decisive, eternal choices. Great choices lead to a life of greatness. Indeed, we become what we choose, for better or worse. If we choose to steal, we become thieves. If we choose to hate, we become angry. If we choose to spend hours on a cell phone, we become addicted. And, if we choose God, daily we grow in his love, and we choose to love others, we find true happiness.
Pope Francis advises us to train ourselves to choose well. He writes: Ask yourselves these questions daily: “What do I feel like doing?” and “What is best for me?” This interior discernment can result either in silly choices or in decisions that shape our lives – it depends on us. Let us look to Jesus and ask him for the courage to choose what is best for us, to enable us to follow him in the way of love.