34 - SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -  B - 2021

CHRIST KING OF THE UNIVERSE 

«  We have reached the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the 34th Sunday in ordinary time. In this Sunday the liturgy of the church celebrates Jesus as King of the Universe. 

«  On the first Sunday in Ordinary time, we have celebrated the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. After his baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of the Father said to Jesus “You are my beloved Son.” 

«  Jesus has healed, taught, forgiven, and discussed with the religious authorities of his people, in a word, Jesus has lived a full human life, showing the unconditional love of the Father for all of us.   

«  During the 33 Sundays in Ordinary time, we have seen Jesus vulnerable on many occasions, and now the Church presents him as King and Lord.   

«  Even being king and Lord, he has not abandoned his tenderness, his compassion; on the contrary his kingship is of love, justice, and kindness for all.  

FIRST READING: Daniel 7:13-14 

Ø  Last week, we explained some interesting details of this book. Today we will concentrate in the message in chapter 7. 

Ø  The reading introduces the character of the “Son of man” title, which Jesus will apply to himself on many occasions.  

Ø  It is a title of sovereignty, of authority because to this character in the book of Daniel 

o   Royal power and dominion   will be given     

o   All the peoples and languages will respect him and will bow down before him.

o    I transcribe here the commentary of Luis Alonso Schökel:  

§  In our time, the believer cannot just simply wait for a heavenly being, which will come to judge the oppressors and the oppressing structures.  

§  In and from faith, the Christian person, who is convinced of the liberating, consoling, and encouraging value of the Word and of Jesus Project, must transform his struggles and sweats into current prophecy.  

§  Time has not changed the way God thinks.

§   It is up to us to do works of justice, solidarity, and fraternity amid a divided world, which is governed by the forces of evil.  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps.  93   

R.  THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. THE LORD IS KING; HE IS ROBED IN MAJESTY

      This psalm belongs to the IV book of psalms (psalms 90-106.) 

      It is a hymn to the divine kingship 

      His power gives firmness to creation   

      The decrees of the Lord are faithful and true.   

      His house is adorned with holiness     

      The kingship and power of God is his holiness, his love, his kindness, his tenderness toward his creation.  

GOSPEL OF JOHN 18:33-37

§  John narrates the encounter between Jesus and Pilate through a series of seven scenes.  

§  The one we will read this Sunday is the second.  

§  It takes place inside the palace of Pilate.

§  During the interrogation Jesus declares himself king, but a king who does not belong to this world, in a word he declares himself God.  

§  He has come to give witness to the truth. What truth? The truth of God and, the truth of the human being.    

Only the one, who accepts the truth, can listen to his voice, the voice of the Master.   

SECOND READING: Rv 1:5-8

ü  This Reading is taken from the first chapter of the book of Revelation.   

ü  After the introduction and the greeting to the churches, the author of the book describes, in a poetic way, who Jesus is:  

o   He is the faithful witness  

o   He is the first among the dead and the King of the kings of the world.  

o   He loves us and has liberated us from our sins with his blood.  

o   He has made of us a kingdom of priests for God his Father.  

ü  He comes upon the clouds; this reminds us the son of man of the vision of the book of Daniel.  

ü  All even those who killed him will see him.  

ü  And after that Jesus introduces himself saying:   

o   I am the alpha and the omega    

o   The one who is, was and will come, the all-powerful 

CLARETIAN CORNER  

To Mother Antonia París 

Fontfroide, August 29, 1870 

My dear Mother in J.C., I have received your letter from the 23rd of the present month, after reading it I respond.  

The weather of Rome has not done good to me, besides this year there have been many special circumstances, like a very hot weather; having to go through the streets of Rome from half past seven to two in the afternoon, and many days I had to walk because I could not find a car to rent. Finally, the very serious business of the Council on the pope’s infallibility, all these things have affected me; thus, on May 23 I had a cerebral affection. I resisted and suffered much, my friends were alarmed, the remedies provided by the Physicians were practiced and are practiced.   

After the Superior of the Congregation knew it, he went to find me and took me to Prades so that with the change of climate and the other circumstances I could be remedied, because I was quite bad with a headache that did not leave me day and night less, that did not let me sleep or rest. 

Fifteen days after I was in Prades, I was notified that the French Government commanded and obliged that all newly arrived Spaniards had to be interned; and so, I had to go to this town called Fontfroide of the Diocese of Carcassonne, in which I am.  The name Fontfroide means cold fountain.   It is a monastery of very good Trappist Religious and they treat me very well; and since I am in this Monastery I feel much better, thank God.

This is in substance what has happened; you know that the Bishops of Lleida, Huesca, Barcelona, and Tarragona died. 

            The Bishops of Spain have been persecuted by our countrymen; but God has exalted us on the other hand, for all have celebrated the Spanish Episcopate for their costume, morality, doctrine, union. May God be blessed and praised.

  My kind regards to the sisters and to you 

Antonio María, arzobispo de Trajanópolis. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras-Año B. San Pablo 2005.

RR. DE MARÍA INMACULADA MISIONERAS CLARETIANAS. Cartas de los Orígenes. Madrid 2009.

SCHÖKEL, LUIS ALONSO. La Biblia de nuestro Pueblo.

CONFERENCIA EPISCOPAL ESPANOLA. Sagrada Biblia. Versión oficial.