Last Sunday in Ordinary time. (Fr James Socias, et al [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1421)
“The Ruler of kings on earth” (Rev 1:5)
“The Lord will reign forever and will give his people the gift of peace.” (Ps 28:10-11)
This Solemnity is “... the synthesis of the entire salvific mystery” (cf John Paul II, “Address”, 20 November 1983). This feast brings the liturgical year to a close. Over the past months we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of the Lord. Now we contemplate Christ in his glorified state as King of all Creation and of our souls.
The feasts of the Epiphany, Easter and the Ascension also relate to Christ as King and Lord of the Universe, but the Church has wanted to have this feast as a special remembrance to modern man, who seems somewhat indifferent to his supernatural destiny. (cf Pius XI, Encyclical, “Quas primas”, 11 December 1925)
The texts for today’s Mass emphasize the love of Christ the King. He did not come to establish his kingdom by force. His weapons are goodness and a shepherd’s solicitude: “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out: As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ez 34:11-2)
The Lord tends to his lost sheep, men and women who have gone astray through sin. He heals their wounds and goes so far as to die for his sheep.
“As King, he came to reveal God’s love, to be the Mediator of the new Covenant, the Redeemer of mankind. The kingdom which Jesus initiated works in its interior dynamism as ‘leaven’ and a ‘sign of salvation’ to build a more just, more fraternal world, one with more solidarity, inspired by the evangelic values of hope and of the future happiness to which all are called.” (John Paul II, op cit, 26 November 1989)
This is what the Kingdom of Christ is all about. Each one of us is called to participate in this kingdom and expand it through our apostolate. The Lord must be present in our families, among our friends, neighbors and colleagues at work.
“... Against those who reduce religion to a set of negative statements, or are happy to settle for a watered-down Catholicism; against those who wish to see the Lord with his face against the wall, or to put him in a corner of their souls, we have to affirm, with our words and ... deeds, that we aspire to make Christ the King reign indeed over all hearts, theirs included.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Furrow”, 608)
St Paul teaches us that while Christ’s Kingdom is achieved in time and space, it will attain its definitive fulness at the Last Judgment. He depicts this epochal event as a rite of homage to the Father: Christ will present all Creation to him as an offering. Then all things will be subjected to his rule. (cf 1 Cor 15:23-8)
His Second Coming will establish “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1-2). He will, therefore, vanquish the devil, sin, pain and death. (cf “The Navarre Bible”, note to 1 Cor 15:23-8)
Christ is a King who has been given all power in Heaven and on earth, but governs like one “gentle and lowly of heart" (cf Mt 11:29). His rule is “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (cf Mt 20:28). His throne was a manger in Bethlehem and then a cross on Calvary. “... the Ruler of kings on earth” (Rev 1:5) whose tribute is our faith and love.
The first person formally to recognize Christ as king was a condemned criminal. He captured the Lord’s Heart with that humble request: “Jesus, remember me when you come to your kingly power” (Lk 23:42). This man was able to grasp the real meaning of Christ’s kingship although it was the object of merciless ridicule from the clamoring throng. His faith deepened as Christ’s divinity became increasingly obscured.
Jesus speaks to us on the occasion of this solemn feast: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11) Let us ask his blessing on our efforts to extend his kingdom through our apostolate of friendship and confidence.
“This is the calling of Christians, ... our apostolic task, the desire which should consume our soul: to make this kingdom of Christ a reality, to eliminate hatred and cruelty, to spread throughout the earth the strong and soothing balm of love.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, 183)
If we are to turn these ideals into reality we must go again to Our Lady. “Mary, the holy Mother of our king, the queen of our heart, looks after us as only she knows how. Mother of Mercy, throne of grace: we ask you to help us compose, verse by verse, the simple poem of charity in our own life and the lives of the people around us; ... ‘like a river of peace’ (Isaiah 66:12). For you are a sea of inexhaustible mercy: ‘All streams run to the sea, but the sea is never full.’ (Eccles 1:7)” (St Josemaria Escrivà, “Christ is passing by”, 187)
Ref: cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 5:526-31
Memorial: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Early tradition is that as a small child, Mary’s parents presented her to the Lord in the Temple. This celebration expresses the total dedication of Mary to God’s service and her obedience to God’s plans. We, too, are called to serve God joyfully without seeking any human glory. (Fr James Socias, et al [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1699)
The significance of the feast
We learn of Our Lady’s life when the Archangel appears to her to announce that she has been chosen by God to become the Mother of the Eternal Son. Up to that decisive moment, Mary’s life must have been truly unique, however, since she was full of grace from the first instant of her Immaculate Conception.
Throughout her life God watched over Mary with a singular predilection. At the same time Our Lady was a normal child in her neighborhood. She was always the delight of her contemporaries in an ordinary town. The crucial events of her life happen in the intimacy of her soul, in the continual dialogue with God the Father.
Today’s feast has its origin in ancient tradition. But the essential basis is firm: the personal oblation that the Blessed Mother made to the Lord during her early youth. She was moved by the Holy Spirit to consecrate her life to God. (Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation, “Marialis cultus”, 2 February 1974, 8)
We celebrate the complete surrender the Blessed Virgin makes to God’s plans for salvation of mankind. In the light of her total commitment, which implies the state of virginity, Our Lady will later say to the Archangel Gabriel: “I know not man.” (Lk 1:34) Thus, she tactfully reveals an entire history of fidelity to God that takes place deep within her soul.
Mary personifies the fulfilment of the New Testament affirmation of virginity’s superiority of state over marriage. Its higher vocation in no way lessens the sanctity of marriage which Christ himself raised to the dignity of a sacrament. (Second Vatican Council, “Gaudium et spes”, 48)
Let us ask Our Lady’s help in living our own dedication to the full, in whatever state God has placed us, in accord with the specific vocation we have received from the Lord. “Talk with Our Lady and tell her trustingly, ‘O Mary, in order to live the ideal which God has set in my heart I need to fly very high -- ever so high ...’” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 994)
Our Lady was moved by a special grace of the Holy Spirit to commit her entire life to God. Perhaps she made the decision just as she reached the age of reason. Maybe she never made a formal commitment to God, but was simply accustomed to living her dedication in a natural way.
St Alphonsus Liguori affirms: “The child Mary is well aware that complete oblations alone are acceptable to God.” In line “with the divine precept, hearts that are divided do not please him: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and with your whole strength (Deut 6:5).' From the beginning of her life, the Blessed Mother strives to love God with all her strength ... entirely given over to his service.” (“The Glories of Mary”, II, 3)
Every advance in our union with God necessarily entails more frequent recourse to the Holy Spirit, the Divine Guest of our soul. Our Lady’s docility to the Holy Spirit, as we have seen, grows throughout her life.
St Josemaria Escrivá composed this prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten my understanding to know your commandments. Strengthen my heart against the snares of the enemy. Inflame my will ... I hear your voice and do not want to harden my heart and resist saying: 'Later ... tomorrow. ... Now I begin!' Now, since tomorrow may never come.
“Oh Spirit of Truth and Wisdom, Spirit of Understanding and Counsel, Spirit of Joy and Peace, I fully accept whatever you desire for me, in the way and at the time that you do, simply because you so want it.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Postulation Articles for his Beatification and Canonization, Historical Records of the Founder”, 20172, 145)
Let us ask Our Lady today that there may be many who, as our Mother Mary did from the time of her youth, follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and give their lives entirely over to the Lord’s service.
Ref: cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 7:254-60
‘True devotion to Mary’
St Louis Marie de Montfort, a great lover of Mary, wrote a treatise entitled, “The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary”. He gives a full explanation of the great secret of achieving union with Christ and a tender devotion to Mary. This devotion is founded on her role in the economy of salvation as mother and queen.
Pope Pius XII in canonizing him on 20 July 1947 declared his doctrine ‘burning, solid and correct’. Underneath are a few sayings of this great Marian writer:
“God gathered together all the waters of earth and called them seas. He gathered together all the graces of heaven and called them Mary.”
“No one can acquire an intimate union with Jesus and a perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without being greatly united to Mary.”
“A lover of Mary must be pious. Mary lived in continual prayer; her devotee must pray ... continually.”
“Mary is so powerful against the devil; he fears a single breath of hers more than all the prayers of the Saints.”
“The Holy Spirit, upon entering a soul and finding there Mary, His beloved Spouse, communicates His life to that soul and fills it with gifts.”
Ref: Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, “Two Months with Mary”, 1984, p19
Presentation of Our Lady. This feast was instituted in the Greek Church more than nine-hundred years ago, since St Germanus, who held the see of Constantinople in the year 715, composed a sermon upon it. — Baronius, Notes to the Martyrology. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (13 BC). (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
Our Lady of Good Health. Basilica in Venice, Italy built to celebrate the end of a plague in 1631/1630. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm).
Our Lady of Peace (Rome). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html).
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