« We
have reached the last Sunday of the liturgical year cycle B. In the liturgy we will
celebrate the kingship of Jesus
« We
began the ordinary time with the solemnity of the Baptism of Jesus. After being
baptized in the Jordan River by John the voice of the Father was heard saying
“You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”
«
Jesus hears the Father telling him that he is
his Son; the Father in some way confirms the vocation of Jesus as the Messiah. After this event Jesus begins to announce
the Kingdom.
« During
the liturgical year we have seen Jesus heal and teach, forgive, discuss with the religious
authorities of his people, in a word Jesus has lived a fully human life,
showing to us the unconditional love of the Father for us.
« At
the end of this journey through the life of Jesus, the Church puts in front of
our eyes this same Jesus, whom we have seen so vulnerable sometimes, as King
and Lord.
« Even
being King and Lord he has not lost his tender love, on the contrary his kingship is made of love and tender care
for all.
« To
have more information about the meaning of this Sunday we may go the Catechism
of the Catholic Church # 671.
FIRST READING:
Daniel 7:13-14
Ø Last
week we explained some aspects of the book of Daniel. Today we
are going to concentrate our attention to the message on chapter 7.
Ø The
Reading introduces a character the “Son of Man”, title which Jesus assumed very
frequently in the Gospel of Mark.
Ø It
is a title of sovereignty, of authority because he has been given:
o
Royal
power and dominion
o
All the peoples and languages will respect him,
and will bend before Him.
His dominion is foreve, his kingdom will not pass away.
Ø I
transcribe here the translation of the commentary of Luis Alonso Schökel:
o
In our time, the believer cannot be satisfied
with simply waiting for a celestial being that will appear to judge the modern
oppressors, and the oppressive structures of power.
o
In and from his or her faith the Christian convinced of the liberator, consoling and,
full of hope value of the Word and of the Project of Jesus, has to transform
his or her struggles and efforts into an active
prophecy.
o
The times have changed, but God is the same, he
does not change his point of view.
It is our decision to do good works of justice, solidarity and
fraternity in the midst of this world divided and governed by the forces of
evil.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Psalm 93 – THE LORD IS KING IN MAJESTY ENROBED
This psalm belongs to the IV book of psalms
(90-106)
It is a hymn to the divine kingship of the Lord.
His
power holds creation.
The commandments of the Lord are faithful and
true.
His house is adorned with holiness.
The kingship and the power of God are his
holiness, his love and his tenderness toward all he has created.
GOSPEL OF
JOHN 18:33-37
§ The
encounter between Jesus and Pilate is narrated by John in a series of little
scenes.
§ The
one we are going to read this coming Sunday is the second.
§ It
takes place into the palace of Pilate.
§ During
the interrogation Jesus declares that he is King, but not a King of this world.
In some way he not only declares that he is king, but that he is also divine, since
his kingdom does not belong to this present world.
§ He
is a King who gives witness to the truth. What truth? The truth of God and of the truth
of the human person.
§ Only
he who accepts the truth is able to hear the voice of the Teacher.
YOU WILL REIGN FOR EVER
SECOND READING : Revelation 1:5-8
ü This
passage belongs to the first chapter of the Book of Revelation.
ü After
an introduction and a greeting to the Churches, the author of the book of
Revelation describes, in a poetic and beautiful way, who Jesus is
o
The faithful witness
o
The first born of the dead, and ruler of the
kings of the earth.
o
He loves us and has freed us from our sins by
his blood.
o
He has made us into a kingdom, priests for his
God and Father
ü He
comes over the clouds; these words remind us of the Son of man in the book of
Daniel.
ü Every
eye will see him, even those who pierced him.
ü Now
it is Jesus who identifies himself
o
I am the Alpha and the Omega
o
The one who is, and who was, and who is to come,
the Almighty.
When God our Lord had decreed from eternity
that I would leave the convent, His Divine Majesty disposed, for my greater
affliction the coming of the royal permission to accept profession. It has more
than 15 years that it was forbidden by the government and almost ten since I
was a novice, eagerly expecting the happy day of my profession. A moment of
true anguishes!
His Excellency, Mgr. Claret, already
consecrated a bishop was at the point of sailing for his diocese. Since God our
Lord gave me a such a firm certainty in
the words this servant of God told me when he came to talk with me, as I have said – doubting that the
work would become a reality – I was unable to remove from my memory how could it be to profess in that convent if it was God’s
will for me to go on with the work His Divine Majesty had entrusted to me. Venerable Maria Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian
Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 94-95
My God, you
know that, despite all my proposals and resolutions, I must have failed against
the holy virtue of modesty. You know whether or not someone has taken scandal
at my failure to observe this virtue. Pardon me, my God. I give you my word
that I shall put the Apostle's words into action and strive to let my modesty
be known to all men; and my modesty will be that of Jesus Christ,
as the same Apostle exhorts us. My Jesus, I give you my word that I shall also
imitate the humble St. Francis of Assisi, whose modesty was a sermon in itself;
who converted people by his good example. Jesus, love of my heart, I love you
and want to draw everyone to your most holy love. St. Anthony Mary
Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 389.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiography.
PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiography
RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo
2005.
Schökel, Luis Alonso, La Biblia de
nuestro Pueblo.
Sagrada Biblia. Official Translation of the Conferencia
episcopal española.
