The Solemnity of Christ the King, November 26, 2023

Matthew 25, 31–46

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, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 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, 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 and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least 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 gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.”  We can compare the aspects of the Lord’s first coming among us with his last, of which he speaks here.  In his first coming, he did not come in glory but in the lowliest humility.  His angels did not attend him visibly but appeared for a few moments to some shepherds who happened to graze their sheep nearby.  It was to his humble throne of a manger that these few shepherds came in the darkness of the night, while when he comes again he shall come in brilliant light and all the people on the earth will see him together.  The living and the dead of all the ages will come before him, and while the shepherds scrutinized the scene in the place where the Lord was born, the Lord will judge all of mankind while seated on a glorious throne.  His companions at his Birth were some domesticated animals, but then he shall be surrounded by wondrous angels.  The Lord’s first coming occasioned great wonder and joy among the shepherds but terrible dismay and confusion among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  His second coming will bring great wonder and joy to the just and despair to the wicked.  The wicked will cry out in their terror: “Who is this King of glory?”, to which the angels will reply, “The Lord who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle” (Psalm 24, 8).  

Our Lord Jesus Christ rules the universe even now, though allowing his enemies to continue so that they might have the chance to repent, but the time will come when the Father will put his enemies under his feet (cf. Psalm 110, 1).  And his rule means that we shall rule with him for we are members of his Body by virtue of our baptism and faith, reinforced by our good works.  We rejoice especially on this solemnity and proclaim with the angels whose ranks, depleted by the fall of the wicked angels, we pray to fill up in heaven one day: “Alleluia: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, has reigned” (Revelation 19, 6).