Here are some of the themes that we find in the Mass readings for the 33rd Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Daniel 12:1-3
Daniel has a vision that Michael, the great prince, will arise in a time unsurpassed in distress.
Some people will awake and shine forever, others will be an everlasting horror and disgrace.
Psalm – 16:5,8-11
“You are my inheritance, O Lord!”
The Lord does not abandon us to the netherworld, but will show us the path of life.
2nd Reading – Hebrews 10:11-14,18
Christ offered one sacrifice for sins by his perfect offering.
He now waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
Gospel – Mark 13:24-32
Jesus speaks of the cataclysmic events that will follow tribulation, where the Son of Man will come in power and glory and send the angels to gather the elect.
Learning a lesson from the fig tree, the Lord invites the disciples to discern the seasons of life and be ready, for no one will know the hour when it happens.
Here are some of the themes that surface in the Mass readings for the Feast of Christ the King.
1st Reading – Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17
God will shepherd the people: tending, seeking, rescuing, healing, protecting.
God will also judge and separate the sheep rightly, between rams and goats.
Psalm – 23:1-3,5-6
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
God leads and refreshes, prepares and anoints, so that goodness and kindness will follow us.
2nd Reading – 1st Corinthians 15:20-26,28
Through one man (Adam) death entered the world; through one man (Christ) all shall be brought to life.
At the end, Christ will judge all creation, and the last enemy will be death.
The Son will then be subjected to God, who will be all in all.
Gospel – Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in glory with all the angels, he will judge all the nations, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates sheep and goats.
Our response to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, ill, and imprisoned will be treated as if it were done to Christ himself – the accursed to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal life.
The Lord offers a parable that challenges complacency and invites us to a continuing conversion of heart. Knowing that there will be a Final Judgment, may we take the gift of today to turn away from sin and embrace the gift of grace that comes from Jesus Christ.
Jesus teaches the disciples about the grace of the corporal works of mercy, revealing how these profound acts of service to those in need have eternal consequences for us all.
The exhortation of the first reading to love one another serves as a ready reminder for daily life. For as the Lord cautions in the Gospel of Luke, the Son of Man will come at an unexpected time. May we take every opportunity to put love into practice!
The Lord’s explanation of parable of the weeds reminds us of the reality of the Final Judgment and our opportunity today to seek Christ above all else.
The Lord teaches that our actions today result in eternal consequences. As we offer the gift of our lives may we be guided by the light of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Three Great Things 