On this last Sunday in ordinary time, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ; the King of the universe; the fundamental belief that Christ; through his death and resurrection, has restored the whole creation; the old Adam, into the life of God.

This is what we call the mystery of redemption. And realize it or not, this mystery has been and is taking place right here and now, and throughout our human history.

And this is going to be completely fulfilled in the Parousia; the New Advent; the second coming of the Lord Jesus, in which God will give a new birth to the whole creation; where everything is gonna be made new in Christ Jesus.
This is what Paul refers to, when he proclaims this fundamental truth of our faith today that Christ must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet and the last enemy to be destroyed is death, where everything is subjected to him and him to God, so that God may be all in all.

See that when St. Paul talks about the last enemy to be destroyed is death. He is not talking about physical death for we are all gonna die anyway. But he is talking about spiritual death; a death that separates us forever with the life of God. It is a total rejection of ours to the new life offered for us in Christ Jesus. It is a total resistance to take the road of conversion and renewal of life; a life of peace and love with God and one another again.

Know my brothers and sisters that the road back to God is only one. And it is humility. It takes a lot of humility to acknowledge that we are sinners. That we all fall short, we hurt each other. We break our promises. But the truth is that there is always a way to make it up again. And there are so many ways; even thousands of forms to express our sorrow and our love of God and one another.

And today Christ is specifically asking us to love again by sharing our food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, by welcoming strangers among us; the immigrants; by clothing the naked, by caring for the sick, and by visiting those in prison.

Now, if you come to think about these points of Jesus, they are even more real and actual right now especially during this pandemic, for everyone is in a very difficult moment. People are hurting. They are hungry and thirsty. Folks are sick mentally and physically. And they cannot afford to pay their bills. They are probably, your own sons and daughters, your sisters and brothers, your kids and grandkids. I see this everywhere; in those, knocking on my door. And I bet you do too.

And mind you, if you want to experience this in a very close distance, join us sometime at our food pantry. You will judge yourself, that there are a lot and many more, really in need. And that is what we are there for.
These are the things that we can do. And remember that Jesus never asks us to do the things that we cannot make. And so, it is not the question of not being able to do it, but it is the question of whether we want to and are willing to do it or not.

Christ simply asks us to serve one another in the spirit of love, for by so doing, we serve no one else but him alone. Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did it for me. And what you did not do to these least brothers of mine, you did not do it for me.
I suppose, the point that Jesus wants us to realize here is that others; especially the poor and the suffering of this world, are the true manifestation of God himself. God’s face is very much reflected in the face of the poor. We minister to the suffering God in the suffering of our brothers and sisters. We serve the resurrected king of the universe by serving the least among us. We are simply working together with Christ to redeem the world.

This is the mystery we celebrate today. It is the mystery of Christ, the king of the universe who unlike the kings and rulers of the earth, Christ carries the burden of us all; the burden of our sins in the form of the Cross.
He is the antithesis of the ancient and current earthly kings or even those who force themselves to be acknowledged as kings because of money, power and fame.

Christ came to bear witness to the truth. He did not kill for the truth but died for it. He won, not by shedding the blood of others, but by offering his own blood. He does not dominate or gather armies and followers. Rather, he sends out messengers of the Good News, equipped not with swords and guns, but with messages of peace and love, ministry and service.

He does not force but invites. He does not impose but propose. He relies on nothing but the response of the heart of those who understand his message. This is the king, we would be proud to serve. He is Christ, our Lord and king of the universe.

By Fr. Dom, SVD ( Immaculate Conception Parish, Montgomery, West Virginia, USA)