Texts taken from the “Sulla Tua Parola” Daily Missal November-December 2023

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (s) (A)
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FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ez 34:11-12,15-17)
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and examine them. As a shepherd examines his flock when he finds himself among his sheep that have been scattered, so I will examine my sheep and gather them from all the places where they were scattered on cloudy and dark days. I myself will lead my sheep to pasture and I will make them rest. Oracle of the Lord God. I will seek out the lost sheep and bring back the strayed one to the fold, I will bind up the injured and heal the sick, I will care for the fat and the strong; I will shepherd them with justice. As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. – The Word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

In Sacred Scripture, it is common to associate the figure of the king with that of the shepherd. They seem like two completely opposite “professions.” The king governs, lives in magnificent palaces, commands armies, ministers, servants, wealth, and power. The shepherd is a humble worker who spends long periods sleeping outdoors during the transhumance, does not live in luxury, and has the flock as his only possession. The biblical association tells us this: to govern well, the king must act like the shepherd, that is, live for the sheep (for his subjects), care about their interests, defend them from wild animals, tend those who are injured, and go in search of those who are lost. The true king, then, is a servant, not a despot who has others serve him. Psalm 23 begins with these words: “The Lord is my shepherd,” making precisely the connection we have described. Thus, in the background emerges the figure of the true king, Jesus Christ, who governs as a shepherd does toward his flock, living entirely for it, even to the point of laying down his life for his sheep, dying on the cross out of love for them.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:20-26,28)
Brothers and sisters, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life. But each one in his proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every principality and every power and force. For he must reign until he has placed all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. And when everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. – The Word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

Jesus’ role in the life of the Church and the world is not simply to sanctify hearts and direct them toward heaven, but to reign in the true sense. Naturally, we do not expect our Lord to appear and take the place of the king of Spain or go sit in the parliament at Montecitorio… This is not divine power. The Lord’s kingship consists in inspiring in people’s hearts the sentiments that flow from his divine goodness: compassion, charity, altruism, a spirit of sacrifice, observance of the precepts of the Church, and so on. In this way, by reigning in our hearts, everything will then become a sign and presence of Jesus; everything will become ordered. His task is to overthrow evil in all its forms and, in the end, death itself, and he can do so if we let him take command, that is, if we first acknowledge ourselves as humble subjects, then as friends, and finally as brides of the Word. In the world we will always be persecuted, more or less, but we will not be defeated, because we possess the absolute dignity of belonging to a royal lineage, as baptized people.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:31-46)
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations. He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right: ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?’ And the king will reply to them: ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left: ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me food, I was thirsty and you did not give me drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, ill and in prison and you did not care for me.’ Then they too will answer: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and did not serve you?’ Then he will answer them: ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

At the Last Judgment we will be judged by acts of charity. The French-American writer Julien Green says that this is one of the most “terrible” passages in the entire Bible, because it contains the words: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire.” In the Old Testament there is never such a strong expression, despite all the passages in which the Lord’s language is rather vehement. How should we understand that word “accursed”? Is it possible that Jesus curses anyone? He, the meek one, who gave his life for everyone? Beyond the word itself, what should strike us is its substance: those who do not live in charity, spending their entire lives satisfying themselves without ever thinking of others, ultimately find themselves in the state of having chosen the curse themselves, that is, the path of perdition – the Book of Deuteronomy (28) also describes the two paths, that of blessing and that of the curse –. Jesus does nothing more than confirm a sentence already written by us during our earthly life. Is the king severe? No, it is love that is serious, so serious that God became incarnate, came to earth, and sacrificed himself. To make God’s love serious in us, let us love one another with the very love of Jesus.