Kings and Queens

Each liturgical year we track the course of Jesus’ life.

We start the year with Advent Season, where we prepare for his coming.

Then we have Christmas Season where we celebrate his arrival.

That’s followed by a few months of Ordinary Time.

Until the Lenten Season where we prepare for his passion and death.

Then Holy Week with observation of that passion and death.

And Easter Season with the resurrection.

Then we finish the year with a longer period of Ordinary Time.

This past Sunday was the Feast of Christ the King.

That feast marks the last Sunday of our liturgical year.

Next Sunday we move on to repeat the cycle again with Advent.

In these final days of the liturgical year our scripture readings focus on the end times.

Jesus’ second coming.

Today’s Gospel speaks of the ultimate destruction of this world.

Nothing of this world lasts forever.

That includes our own earthly existence.

Hard as it may be to imagine our own absence, none of us will be here, as is, forever.

So as our scripture contemplates the world’s end times, we also contemplate our own.

How can we prepare for our end?

One important way is to strive to imitate Jesus—as best we can.

We were told at our baptism to live like Jesus; as priest, prophet and king.

So as we focus this week on Christ the King coming in glory and power and judgment—

We might wonder, How can I imitate that!

We don’t have to.

That’s not the aspect of kingship or queenship that we were called to at baptism.

There’s a flip side to the glory and power and authority of kings and queens.

Even the medieval doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings recognized the flip side.

Along with power and glory and authority over people,

Comes responsibility for the welfare of those people.

And that was what Christ the King was all about.

He gave everything for the welfare of his people.

He gave even more than the poor widow in yesterday’s Gospel who gave her last coins.

He went to the extreme of suffering a bloody passion and death for his people.

So, as the dead leaves cover our paths, and the winter cold closes in on us,

And our scriptures draw us toward the end times,

We can recommit ourselves to giving all we can for our people.

If we can do that, we’ll be moving toward a very happy ending.

Tuesday 34th Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 21:5-11                                   Read this Scripture @usccb.org