Who is Your King?

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Matthew 25:40b

Today the Church celebrates the last Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or “Christ the King.” This means that one week from today, a new liturgical year begins with the season of Advent. As is the custom with the end of every year, we are invited to reflect on this past year, not necessarily on how well we’ve achieved our weight loss goals or how well we curbed a bad habit or fostered a new one, but how we well we have lived out our call as Christians, as people who claim to follow Christ, whom we celebrate today as King of the Universe.

The kind of king that Jesus is stands in stark contrast to the kings we read of in history, even the first king of Israel. Jesus is not a king who sits on his throne and wields power from his scepter or that passes edicts and gives commands while staying in the palace. Jesus is a king who is a servant, a servant who talks to sinners and associates with the outcast, a servant who is despised by His own people and who ultimately dies the death of a criminal. This is the King of Christians. Do you still wish to follow this king?

In the readings given to us today, we are reminded that the Lord is our Good Shepherd who leads His sheep to green pastures and restful waters. Jesus tells of the judgment on the nations with the imagery of the goats and sheep, where those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and welcome the stranger will “inherit the Kingdom” that has been prepared for them, while those who do not will spend eternity with the devil and his angels. At first this may sound like people have been predestined to go to either heaven or hell but that is not the case. God wants all of His children to go to heaven, but sadly not everyone wants to or at least chooses to lead lives that lead them there. God does not send anyone to hell; in fact we send ourselves to hell. How? Hell is the absence of God, and so if we choose to not believe or choose to live lives that are not in imitation of our King and Lord we are saying we do not want God, we do not want heaven, and so the only other option is “not God,” which is hell. Do you choose heaven or hell?

The ways the righteous ministered to the Lord that Jesus mentions in the Gospel are what we call today the Corporal Works of Mercy. Jesus reminds His disciples that to really serve Him, we must serve the least ones — the poor, the rejected, the outcast, and the vulnerable. To serve Christ we must serve one another. Do we do that? I don’t mean if we wait on one another, but rather do we truly care about the eternal fate of our brothers and sisters? Do we pray for them? Do we share with them how God has worked in our lives? Do we invite them into a relationship with God? Do we talk to those who are lonely or accompany those who feel alone in this life? Do we help the poor or do we walk by and drive by without even acknowledging them? Do we help the immigrant or do we judge them quietly and laugh at their struggles? Do we visit and help the elderly and shut-ins or do we let them live out their final days in isolation and seclusion? Do we help the dying to die with dignity or do we see them only as a body occupying a bed that is needed? Do we love the unborn and fight for their lives? If we choose to neglect anyone, we neglect Christ. If we choose to reject anyone, we reject Christ.

Brothers and sisters, I must admit, it is not easy to live as a Christian today, but God doesn’t ask for us to be perfect. We ought to strive for perfection, and when we fall short we must turn to Our Lord for strength to do better. Jesus did not say only those who have loved perfectly and served perfectly or those who ten times out of ten fed the hungry and welcomed the stranger will inherit the Kingdom. He only asks that we try and do our best. So brothers and sisters, as we come to the end of our liturgical year, how well have you followed the Universal King, Our Lord Jesus Christ? Have we chosen to follow a different king? I recently saw on a few cars a sticker that read “Do you follow Jesus this closely?” It’s funny but it’s also a great question to ask ourselves. Now I’m not saying you should tailgate other cars, but I am saying we should tailgate Our Lord and His Cross. Keep your eye on the prize and the Lord will lead you to His Father. Let us reflect with the Lord today and ask Him for the grace to love more deeply and to serve more willingly.

Living Out Our Call

“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.”

Matthew 25:14-15

When was the last time you thought about how well you’re living out your call? Or the last time you thought about your gifts and talents? Each one of us is endowed with certain gifts and talents that can help build up the Kingdom, but sometimes we may choose to use them for other ends or not use them at all.

The Lord tells a parable to His disciples about a man who before leaving for a journey entrusts his possessions to his servants, “each according to his ability.” Then the parable goes on with what each servant did with the “talents” (money): the ones with the most traded them or invested them and multiplied the talents, but the one with the least out of fear hid the talent in the ground. When the man comes back he praises the two who used the talents wisely and entrusts to them greater responsibilities but scolds the servant who hid the talent when he could have simply placed it in the bank so that it could at least earn some interest. This last servant was cast out into the darkness. If we were to read this literally, we may think that Jesus is overly concerned about money, but Our Lord was trying to convey a deeper message, a message that concerns us, our calling, and our salvation.

Each one of us has been created by God out of love — despite our struggles and challenges or upbringing, we are each the product of the eternal Love of God — and has been given different talents and gifts. These talents and gifts perhaps helped us discern what we want to do with our lives — our jobs, our careers, our professions, our callings. We have each been called by God to play a role in the life here on earth that will lead us back to Him in heaven. What is your calling? Our calling isn’t necessary simply what we are “good at,” but rather that ways in which we can realize God’s will for our lives here on earth. Wherever we are in our lives, God’s will can be realized.

If we are teachers, our calling is to be the best educator we can be, not measured by how much material we can cover, but rather how we come to encounter God in each one of our students and how we remind our students of how much they are loved by God. If we are politicians, our calling is to listen not simply with our ears but our hearts to those whom we have vowed and promised to serve and do that well. If we are office workers, our calling isn’t simply fulfilling our quota of work or checking off every task on our to-do list, but also to get to know how colleagues, to see them, to listen to them, to serve them, to help them, and to share with them when appropriate and as appropriate how God has worked in our lives, not in an attempt to proselytize, but rather to simply convey and share what is important to you.

At the crux of all our callings is relationship. All of our relationships ought to be anchored and rooted in the one relationship that truly sustains us and points us in the right direction — our relationship with God. So, if we are saying to ourselves, “I am not sure what my calling is,” perhaps we do not yet know the One who calls us. When we grow in our relationship with the One who calls us, our loving God, we will come to know what our calling is and where He is leading us to live out that call. There is no greater joy and enduring peace than when we are living out the calling to which we have been called and using the gifts and talents given to us in building each other up. You are called and you are loved!

Will You Be Ready?

“Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Matthew 25:11-13

As we quickly approach the end of the liturgical year, the Church reminds us of our mortality. What is it that we seek in life? What is the first thought when we wake up? What is the last thought when our heads hit the pillow? Do we seek only to live this earthly life while neglecting the life that is prepared for us for eternity? When the Lord comes, will He find us ready for the Kingdom?

In the Parable of the Virgins, some were prepared with oil for their lamps while others were not. On the surface, some might ask why did those with the flasks of oil not share with those who had none? Wouldn’t that have been the charitable and Christ-like thing to do? The answer is “yes” if the moral of the story was about sharing, but the Lord was teaching about something deeper here. The Lord is talking about our salvation and the part we play in it. There are some things that we just can’t do in another’s place, and that is what the Lord is referring to in this parable.

Think about a parent or teacher who so wishes their children would understand right from wrong and see that their actions are only hurting themselves. Oftentimes perhaps when parents see their child struggling, they say “I wish I could take her/her place,” but they know they cannot, no matter how much they want to. This is the same for the spiritual life. No matter how much we may want our family member or friend to have a relationship with God or to see how their lives may or may not be a reflection of God’s love, we cannot do it for them. The “oil” for the lamps in this parable are just those things, the things that one must work on and towards themselves, the things which no one else can do for another or in another’s place.

We cannot want salvation for someone who does not want it. We cannot seek forgiveness and expect absolution for the sins of another who is not contrite (although we have faith in and pray for God’s boundless mercy to be extended towards them). We cannot believe in God for someone who rejects Him. We cannot encounter God for someone else. We cannot open the heart of someone who choose to keep it closed. Our faith is twofold, both communal and personal, and both are needed for the spiritual life. Yes, intercessory prayer is real and it works! The power of prayer is indeed real and effective. When we pray for others, God hears us, but even when God answers those prayers, if we are not willing to receive those graces, God will not force them upon us. It takes a personal assent and “yes.” At our baptism, parents and godparents said “yes” in place of the baby, but when that baby grows older he or she must choose to say “yes” on their own.

Where are we on our spiritual journey? Do we have flasks of oil ready for the night that is coming? As long as we are alive and breathing, we have time and we have the opportunity to visit those merchants (sacraments) to seek reconciliation and the graces that we so need in our lives. Do not delay and think we have plenty of time, for that is one of the greatest lies that the devil uses to tempt us — that we always have more time. So, will you be ready when the Lord comes and when the door behind Him closes? The time of salvation is now! May we today choose to say “yes” to God, to work to grow towards Him everyday, and to invite those around us to do the same.