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Word To Life
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Sunday Scripture Readings: Nov. 25, 2007
By Sharon K. Perkins
Catholic News Service
November 25, Christ the King
Cycle C Readings:
1) 2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5
2) Colossians 1:12-20
Gospel: Luke 23:35-43
I found myself in a situation recently that I haven't experienced in quite a while -- standing in a long line at the bank. I was conducting business that required help from a teller. I mused that if not for e-checks, credit cards, direct deposit and online banking the lines at banks would probably be much longer. There was a time when transferring funds meant literally carrying one's hard currency from one place to another -- a slower, more laborious task. But because we have short memories we often consider mere waiting in bank lines an inconvenience.
The second reading for the feast of Christ the King mentions transfer of something more precious than gold as a reminder that the kingdom of God's "beloved Son" is not simply some abstract principle or imaginary place where Christ alone dwells. The reign of Christ is a state of real and profound transformation that he willingly shares with you and me. Even more significantly, our transfer from the "power of darkness" takes place through the blood of Christ which reconciles everything to himself. It is through Christ's efforts, not ours, that this "transaction" takes place, encompassing all of creation.
The Gospel of Luke uses the exchange between the two thieves at Calvary to underscore the point that even when Christ's kingship isn't obvious to the human observer, it is in fact present. For Luke's first-century community of believers -- innocents suffering the persecution reserved for criminals -- it was an essential reminder that Christ already had suffered these things and yet maintained his lordship over all. The Gospel and Paul's letter to the Colossians, when read together, give us the big picture of Christ's kingship throughout eternity, from before the creation of the universe to the moment of our death and far beyond to the end of time.
The church places this feast at the end of the liturgical year just before Advent to instill in us the hope that the same Christ who has always reigned will continue to reign both in our hearts and in human history despite all appearances to the contrary. Now that's something to meditate on while standing in line at the bank!
QUESTIONS:
What circumstances in your life right now obscure the fact that Christ reigns over all things? What can you do this week to remind yourself and others in need of hope of the "bigger picture"?
SCRIPTURE TO BE ILLUSTRATED:
"He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).
END
Copyright © 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS Word To Life column may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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