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21 November/Sunday/34th Sunday] Christ the King B

Dan 7,13-14/ Psa 93,1a.1b-2.5/Rev 1,5-8/John 18,33-37

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading  Daniel 7:13-14

I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm   Psalm 92(93):1-2,5

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.

The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed;

    the Lord has robed himself with might,

    he has girded himself with power.

The world you made firm, not to be moved;

    your throne has stood firm from of old.

    From all eternity, O Lord, you are.

Truly your decrees are to be trusted.

    Holiness is fitting to your house,

    O Lord, until the end of time.

Second Reading   Apocalypse 1:5-8

Jesus Christ has made us a line of kings and priests

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Gospel Acclamation   Mark 11:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David!

Alleluia!

Gospel    John 18:33-37

Yes, I am a king

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’

Reflection

The readings, particularly the Gospel Reading of the feast of Christ, King of the Universe are not what we may really expect for such a splendid occasion. We may be expecting readings about the enthronement of Jesus or a scene in which we witness his might. The Gospel Reading surprisingly is that of the trial of Jesus or better still his interrogation by Pilate. In this reading, we witness the humiliation of Jesus as he appears in chains like a criminal before Pontius Pilate. There is an apparent contrast between the two figures. Pontius Pilate appeared as the powerful representative of an omnipotent emperor. Jesus is presented as a defenceless accused person whose responses to the interrogation of Pilate did not seem satisfactory. From the eyes of those present at the scene, there was no doubt that the one in command of events was Pilate.

From the perspective of Christians who read the text today, the story is completely different and it is for that matter that this reading is proposed for the feast of Christ, King of the Universe. What is important in the episode is the dialogue between the two persons. Pontius Pilate understood neither Jesus nor the Jews. When Jesus interrogated him about the source of his question whether he was king of the Jews, he could only retort with a rhetorical question. He seemed not to understand what the Jews were talking about. If he were clear about their accusation, he would not have asked Jesus to tell him why the Jews brought him to his palace for trial. In a certain way, we can conclude that the one who was really on trial was Pontius Pilate and not Jesus.

As far as Jesus is concerned, the questions of Pilate were irrelevant. What mattered was the truth and he had control of the truth. He boldly told Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world. This implied that he was king but the origin of his kingship is not of this world. Despite his kingdom not being of this world, he affirmed before Pilate that he was born to be king and he came into the world for that purpose. There is however a particular way in which Jesus explains his kingship that should not escape our attention. In his response to Pilate, he made it clear that his kingship is to bear witness to the truth. The kingship of Jesus is his sovereign action on earth through which God performs his saving works and speaks his saving words. This kingship was conferred on him by the Father who sent him into the world. His entire ministry on earth is therefore his action as king and it is done in view of the truth.

The mission of Jesus does not have its origins in this world. His mission has its origins in the Father who is all truth and desires the salvation of all. His kingship is an eternal sovereignty that shall never pass away because it can never be destroyed. Jesus says that those who listen to him are on the side of the truth. The Gospel he preaches is the truth that would save all people. Those who listen to him are expected to accept his teaching and live it out in their lives. Only those who live it out can call themselves children of God. These are the ones destined to eternal life and they would reign with Christ when he comes in his kingdom.

On the feast of Christ, King of the Universe we acclaim his sovereignty over the universe. We acknowledge that he alone reveals the truth of the Father to humanity. We thank him for sharing this truth with us and for inviting us to make known this truth as we also share it with those we encounter in our daily lives. We are certain that if we live out this truth, we would have a share in his kingdom. In this certitude, we ask the Lord to make us faithful messengers of his truth.

20 November/Saturday/33rd Week in Ordinary Time,   

1Macc 6,1-13/Psa 9,2-3.4.6.16.19/Luke 20,27-40

By Most Rev Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading   1 Maccabees 6:1-13

'I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem'

King Antiochus was making his way across the upper provinces; he had heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais, renowned for its riches, its silver and gold, and its very wealthy temple containing golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by Alexander son of Philip, the king of Macedon, the first to reign over the Greeks. He therefore went and attempted to take the city and pillage it, but without success, since the citizens learnt of his intention, and offered him a stiff resistance, whereupon he turned about and retreated, disconsolate, in the direction of Babylon. But while he was still in Persia news reached him that the armies that had invaded the land of Judah had been defeated, and that Lysias in particular had advanced in massive strength, only to be forced to turn and flee before the Jews; these had been strengthened by the acquisition of arms, supplies and abundant spoils from the armies they had cut to pieces; they had overthrown the abomination he had erected over the altar in Jerusalem, and had encircled the sanctuary with high walls as in the past, and had fortified Bethzur, one of his cities. When the king heard this news he was amazed and profoundly shaken; he threw himself on his bed and fell into a lethargy from acute disappointment because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. And there he remained for many days, subject to deep and recurrent fits of melancholy, until he understood that he was dying. Then summoning all his Friends, he said to them, ‘Sleep evades my eyes, and my heart is cowed by anxiety. I have been asking myself how I could have come to such a pitch of distress, so great a flood as that which now engulfs me – I who was so generous and well-loved in my heyday. But now I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem when I seized all the vessels of silver and gold there, and ordered the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah for no reason at all. This, I am convinced, is why these misfortunes have overtaken me, and why I am dying of melancholy in a foreign land.’

Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 9A(9):2-4,6,16,19

I will rejoice in your saving help, O Lord.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will recount all your wonders.

I will rejoice in you and be glad,

    and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.

See how my enemies turn back,

    how they stumble and perish before you.

You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked;

    you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.

The nations have fallen in the pit which they made,

    their feet caught in the snare they laid;

for the needy shall not always be forgotten

    nor the hopes of the poor be in vain.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Gospel   Luke 20:27-40

In God all men are alive

Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’ Some scribes then spoke up. ‘Well put, Master’ they said – because they would not dare to ask him any more questions.

Reflection

The First Reading presents an account of the last days of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The account indicates that he did not experience a happy end. His decision to defeat the city of Elymais, known also as Elam in the Bible did not materialise. At the same time, he is said to have received news of the defeat of his army led by Lysias who was fighting against the Jews of the Maccabean revolt. Things were falling apart for a man who at one point in his life equated himself to a god and erected his own statues for worship by the people.

The last part of the reading reveals how Antiochus IV Epiphanes confessed the evil and abominable things he did when he conquered Jerusalem. He can be fittingly called a temple robber as he robbed the temple of all its sacred vessels. His recognition and admission of guilt came rather late, when he was already on his death bed. Despite its lateness, we acknowledge his sincerity in admitting his guilt. He however fell short of ordering the return of the sacred vessels to Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, we can still find among world leaders of our times some who behave like Antiochus IV Epiphanes. When they are in power, they think they are all powerful and so no one can challenge them or advise them. They take arbitrary decisions without due consideration for their subjects. We should not wish such people the same end as was the case of Antiochus IV Epiphanes because that would be unchristian on our part. We know our God is a loving God who does not want the death of the wicked person but that he/she repents and lives. As Jesus said in the Gospel Reading, our God is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive. We should therefore pray that people who behave like Antiochus IV Epiphanes would see the light of the truth and convert when there is still time.

19 November/Friday/33rd Week in Ordinary Time,   

1Macc 4,36-37.52-59/1Chr 29,10.11.11-12.12/Luke 19,45-48

By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD

First Reading 1 Maccabees 4:36-37,52-59

Judas and his brothers purify the sanctuary and dedicate it

Judas and his brothers said, ‘Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.’ So they marshalled the whole army, and went up to Mount Zion.

On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they rose at dawn and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of holocausts which they had made. The altar was dedicated, to the sound of zithers, harps and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the pagans had originally profaned it. The whole people fell prostrate in adoration, praising to the skies him who had made them so successful. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering holocausts, communion sacrifices and thanksgivings. They ornamented the front of the Temple with crowns and bosses of gold, repaired the gates and the storerooms and fitted them with doors. There was no end to the rejoicing among the people, and the reproach of the pagans was lifted from them. Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.

Responsorial Psalm  1 Chronicles 29:10-12

We praise your glorious name, O Lord.

Blessed are you, O Lord,

    the God of Israel our father,

    for ever, for ages unending.

Yours, Lord, are greatness and power,

    and splendour and triumph and glory.

    All is yours, in heaven and on earth.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom,

    you are supreme over all.

    Both honour and riches come from you.

You are the ruler of all,

    from your hand come strength and power,

    from your hand come greatness and might.

Gospel Acclamation    cf. 2Tim 1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death

and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel  Luke 19:45-48

You have turned God's house into a robbers' den

Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’

He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.

Reflection

Judah Maccabeus was involved in a fierce battle against the army led by Lysias of the Seleucid army. Judah prayed to God that he might deliver the Seleucids into his hands and so it was; Judah and his army won the battle. Thus, Judah Maccabeus regained freedom for Israel as Goliath was handed over to David in the battle against the Philistines. It is believed that Lysias decided to go back home because he heard of the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Whatever be the case, Israel was free now to worship God without interference from Hellenistic leaders who sought to impose pagan worship on them.

Having won the battle, Judah Maccabeus decided to go to Jerusalem and cleanse the Temple in view of its purification and rededication for worship. Judah decided to replace the altar of sacrifice because it was defiled with idolatrous worship. He replaced all the vessels, candelabrum and incense altar because the old ones were carried away by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. They offered a sacrifice of rededication on a day coinciding with the anniversary of the day on which the Temple was defiled. For the Jews of the time of the Maccabees, this was a victorious act that should be celebrated. They regained their religious freedom and could sustain the purity of worship that God demanded of them in the covenant. The victory of Judah Maccabeus and his army shows that God never abandons his own and would come to their rescue at his appointed time. What matters is our faithfulness to him so that we can cooperate with his plan of salvation.

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus sought to instil the same spirit of purity of worship in the people. His anger at those trading in the Temple grounds was because their activities were changing the principal purpose of the Temple. The Temple was meant to be a house of prayer so nothing should prevent the realisation of that purpose. Today, we also have to be cautious of any move that can turn the house of God into a commercial centre. We need to constantly ask ourselves if we give our places of worship the dignity and respect they deserve.