Thy Kingdom Come - Sunday's reading reflection

Do you recognize that the Lord Jesus has been given full authority and power to rule over the earth as well as heaven? Jesus was crucified for his claim to be the Messianic King who would rule not only over his people Israel but ultimately over all the nations as well. What is the significance or meaning of Jesus' kingship for us? Kingship today seems antiquated, especially in democratic societies where everyone is treated equal and free. At least, where they're supposed to be treated equal and free.  God at first did not want to give his people Israel a king. Why? Because God alone was their King and they needed no other. Nonetheless, God relented and promised his people that through David's line he would establish a kingship that would last for eternity (Psalm 89:29). 

The Jews understood that the Messiah would come as king to establish God's reign for them. They wanted a king who would free them from tyranny and from foreign domination. Many had high hopes that Jesus would be the Messianic king. Little did they understand what kind of kingship Jesus claimed to have. Jesus came to conquer hearts and souls for an imperishable kingdom, rather than to conquer perishable lands and entitlements.

When Satan tempted Jesus during his forty day fast in the wilderness, he offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9). Jesus knew that the world was in Satan's power. And this was precisely why Jesus came – to overthrow Satan's power and rulership over the earth. Jesus knew that the way to victory was through submission to his Father's will and through the sacrificial offering of his life upon the cross for the sins of the world. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he was mocked for his claim to kingship. Nonetheless, he died not only as King of the Jews, but as King of the nations as well. His victory over the power of sin, Satan, and the world, was accomplished through his death on the cross and his resurrection. 

Jesus exchanged a throne of glory for a cross of shame to restore us from slavery to sin to glory with God as his adopted sons and daughters. In the Book of Revelations Jesus is called King of kings and Lord and lords (Rev. 19:16). And so he is.  As St. Paul said of God in the second reading, "He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

That's a kingdom in which I want to be a citizen.  How about you?

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

Pope Francis blesses man with severely disfigured face (CNA)

Wow.

Pope Francis blesses man with severely disfigured face :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Purifying our own temple - Tomorrow's reading reflection

Today’s texts recall the reconsecration of God’s temple. In Maccabees this happens in Jerusalem, after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes; and in the gospel, Jesus cleanses the sanctuary after its profanation by traders in the temple courts. We might ponder on ways in which our lives and our church can become more truly a house of prayer, a temple according to God’s holy purpose.

Jesus has wept over Jerusalem for failing to recognize its time of grace. Today he enters the temple and drives out the merchants and traders. His objection is not to the ritual sacrifices but to the abuse of religion for financial gain by merchants and religious leaders who were more concerned for money than the worship of God.

To purify the temple means to let God be supreme in our lives. That means that our business and financial dealings as well as our politics must be moderated by God’s law of justice and compassion. We should bring every aspect of our daily lives – family and neighbourhood, work and recreation – into the temple, so that these can be purified, sanctified and placed under God’s protection. At first, this program seems sweet and easy. But Jesus’ requirements may be as stern as in today’s story. As we renew our attachment to him, God can say of us, “My house is a house of prayer.” Every part of life, home and family, work and play, can contribute to the depth and sincerity of our prayer, with God enthroned everywhere in our being.

(Adapted from ACP)

Holy Mary, Co-Redemptrix, we pray for peace - Tomorrow's reading reflection

Jesus' earthly ministry centers and culminates in Jerusalem, which scripture describes as the holy city, the throne of the Lord (Jeremiah 3:17);and the place which God chose for his name to dwell there (1Kings 11:13; 2 Kings 21:4; 2 Kings 23:27); and the holy mountain upon which God has set his king (Psalm 2:6). Jerusalem derives its name from the word "salem" which mean "peace". The temple in Jerusalem was a constant reminder to the people of God's presence with them.  But they forgot the reminder.  And so Jesus literally laments, "Oh city of peace, if this day you only knew what makes for peace– but now it is hidden from your eyes."

What is the enemy of peace in our homes, cities, and nations and what keeps us from a good relationship with God and with our neighbor? When Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem he wept over it because it inhabitants did not "know the things that make for peace" (Luke 19:42). Jesus fulfills the beatitude for those who weep and for those who make peace – "blessed are those who mourn ...blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:4,9). That is why Jesus went to Jerusalem to be crucified not only for the sins of its inhabitants but to reconcile the whole world – all who have sinned – with God.  To bring about peace for those who want peace.  Do you want peace.

Holy Mary, his sinless mother, helped bring all of that to pass.  For this she is called the Co-redemptrix.  Today we celebrate her presentation in the temple as a child and pray for her intercession for peace.

(Adapted from Don Schwager)

Radical trust - Tomorrow's reading reflection

This reading from Maccabees has the clearest Old Testament statement of faith in the resurrection of the body and the afterlife. It reflects the piety of a lay group which evolved into the Pharisees, a group who resisted the rigid conservatism of the Jerusalem priests and who firmly believed in the resurrection of the dead. This belief did not evolve out of books or scholarly debate, but from radical trust in God’s fidelity and perhaps also from contact with neighbouring peoples, where belief in the afterlife was already well established.

The faith of the Maccabean mother rested solidly on her conviction of God’s fidelity to her and her seven children, which would surpass the barrier of death and the tomb. In a vibrant declaration, the mother linked her faith in God’s creation of the universe with trust in God’s ultimate justice. Creation, pregnancy and rebirth are linked together in her thought: God loves his creation with the same concern as a mother for a child in her womb, and this divine love surrounds a faithful person even through persecution and death, leading to a new resurrection.

(Adapted from ACP)

Loss = Gain - Tomorrow's reading reflection

The final Gospel verse can help us interpret many other stories about Jesus. His key mission was “to seek out and save what was lost.” Perhaps Jesus’ words can be turned around paradoxically, and rephrased to read: we cannot be found unless we lose ourselves; unless we are found by Jesus, we cannot be saved.

To be found by Jesus meant that Zacchaeus had to give up and lose much of himself. He set aside his dignity by climbing up the sycamore tree, and then promised much of his wealth would go in paying back those he had defrauded. We should not how Jesus also set aside his dignity as a man of God by going to dine at the home of such a notorious sinner. Zacchaeus, after all, was chief tax collector in the city of Jericho, through which many pilgrims passed on their way to festivals at Jerusalem. This city funneled all the wealth of the East towards the capital.

When Jesus came to where Zacchaeus sat up in the sycamore tree, he looked up and called him, “Hurry on down!” – for he had seen a spirit of repentance in Zacchaeus’ heart. Indeed, “the Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost.”

In Eleazar’s case, he was called not just to a change of lifestyle but to hand over his life by martyrdom. Again, by losing, he gained much, for while dying, he expressed an inner joy because of his devotion to the Lord God. Eleazar’s martyrdom brought a blessing for the entire Jewish nation, leaving such an unforgettable example of loyalty to God.

(Adapted from ACP)