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Tag: Christ the King

  • Christ the King is our Courage and our Healing

    Christ the King is our Courage and our Healing

    November 23, 2025 – Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112325.cfm)

    Jesus Christ our King is not the kind of king the world expects. When we hear “king,” we imagine someone powerful, protected, wearing a crown of gold. Yet, our Gospel today tells of a completely different image of a king. Jesus’ throne is a cross. His crown is made of thorns, and instead of soldiers guarding Him, people are mocking Him. To many, Christ our King looks weak, defeated, even powerless.

    And yet, we call Jesus our King. Why? Because the true strength of Jesus is not shown in force, violence, or armies. His power is shown in love that does not give up, mercy that never closes its doors, and hope that refuses to die.

    In the first reading of the Second Book of Samuel, the tribes of Israel came to David and said, “We are your bone and your flesh.” They chose David as king because he walked with them, suffered with them, led them, and protected them.

    Jesus is an even a greater King. He did not just walk with His people. He became one of us. He carried our pain. He entered our darkness, and He stayed.

    For many of us who lived through the Marawi Siege and the 2023 bombing, there were moments that perhaps we wondered and asked, “Lord, where are You? How can You be King if evil can do such harm?”

    However, the Cross reminds us that Jesus is the King who does not run away from suffering. He enters it with us. He is not a distant King. He is a wounded King. This is the reason why He understands our wounds. Indeed, we have a king who stands with the wounded.

    In the Gospel, one of the criminals looked at Jesus, bloody, weak, nailed to wood and recognized not a failure, but a King. He said, “Jesus, remember me.” And Jesus answered with the deepest royal authority, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

    This is the power of our King! Yet, not found in the power to crush enemies, but the power to restore, to forgive, to heal, to raise us up when life pushes us down.

    When violence tried to destroy this community, love still survived. When fear tried to rule our hearts, faith still whispered, “God is with us.” When the darkness of war tried to cover Marawi, the light of people helping each other rose again. This is Christ’s power at work in us. And Christ’s power is healing, not hurting.

    The psalm today echoes and speaks of our hope and joy, “I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord.” After all our community has endured, you might think people would be afraid to come back to church. Well, this was indeed the feeling and experience of some of you. But look at us now, we still gather, pray, sing, laugh, and rebuild. That is a miracle in itself.

    Indeed, the presence of each one of you here is a declaration that, Christ still reigns. Fear does not win. Evil does not win. Violence does not write the last chapter.

    Moreover, St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossians that Jesus is the one who holds all creation together. Everything on earth, in the heavens, the entire universe—is in His hands.

    And that same King holds you and me. Our family. Our memories. Our grief. Our healing. He is not only the King of the universe. Jesus is the King of our hearts, of our homes, of our future.

    We may feel small after everything we’ve been through. We may feel broken at times. But Christ the King says: “You are not alone. I reign not by force, but by love.”

    And love always wins. Love always rises. Love always restores. This is the King we follow. I would like to offer you now three simple and doable takeaways.

    First, say this prayer every morning even for 2 minutes. “Jesus my King, stay with me today.” A short prayer, but it opens our hearts to Christ. And let His peace rule your thoughts. Let His mercy guide your actions. Let His strength carry your fears.

    Second, practice one act of reconciliation. Call someone you’ve avoided. Apologize if needed. Forgive even if it is still painful because the Kingdom of God grows wherever reconciliation begins.

    Choose hope even when it feels small. When fear or sadness comes, pause and say: “Lord, You are my King. I trust You.” Let hope be your quiet strength.

    Christ our King may have looked powerless on the Cross, but His love conquered sin, conquered fear, and conquered death. And that same love is conquering our wounds, slowly, gently, day by day.

    May Christ the King be our courage, our healing, and our peace. Hinaut pa.

  • VOX FIDELIUM VOX DEI

    VOX FIDELIUM VOX DEI

    November 23, 2025 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112325.cfm)

    A story once told about a town which was badly devastated by severe flooding. In the process of rebuilding their lives, they also worked together in building again their damaged church. But what worried them most in rebuilding their church was their old and antique statue of their Crucified Christ that damaged its hands and feet.

    A public consultation was made as to what should be done about their beloved but damaged Crucifix. Different ideas has been expressed and debated. For sentimental value, some are for restoring the statue; though others are against it, for fear that the restoration might completely destroy the original statue. For practical reason, some are in favor of buying a new one, though most would prefer their original Crucifix.

    Then, a respected old man made a suggestion to the plenum. After hearing and reflecting on the old man’s suggestion, everyone agreed that they will honor and implement what has been suggested. Hence, they never buy a new one nor restore the old one. But they just reinstall their old and original Crucifix, with damaged hands and feet. However now underneath the Crucifix, they put a sign: “This is Jesus Christ, who died so that we may live. He is now a PWD – Person with Disability, with damaged hands and feet. Will you now be His hands and feet for others?”

    Church tradition has it that during His crucifixion and death, the last words of Jesus was: “Natapos na. It is done. It is finished”. But, what has been done?…What has ended?…Yes, in the cross, His mission, suffering and life has ended and finished. He has already done the Father’s will. He has already done His work and part in bringing out life and mercy to all. His mission is now done and finished. He has already fulfilled the salvation that God has offered all. He has already revealed to us God’s great love for us.

    But what is not done yet is the God’s kingdom here on earth. What is not finished yet is the reign of God’s presence, love, justice, mercy and peace in our lives.

    While there are still people who are suffering from poverty and injustice due to our sins, insensitivity & corruption, the mission of Christ is already done… but our mission as Christian still lives and moves on. While there are still people who are poor, deprived and most abandoned, while there are still people who are imprisoned by greed for power, wealth and prestige, like our corrupt and manipulative politicians, contractors & capitalists, our Mission or Task as Christian followers & believers is not yet done.

    Remember on the cross, Jesus did not say: “I am finished” but said:  “It is finished”. Meaning, he is not finished yet. There is yet more to come, more yet to happen for our salvation. And this time, His salvation lives on with us & through us, as His hands & feet to do what we are to do, and to be what we should be as Christians.

    So for him to continue to shower us with God’s grace of salvation, Jesus still needs us. He still needs us to be His hands and feet for others.

    He has already saved us. God & Jesus have already done their part. Now it is in us & with us to transform our lives in our world today. It is now in our person – in our hands, feet, mouth, voice and faith to be sharers of God’s graces to others. Like Simon of Cyrene who helped carry the cross of Jesus, as Christians, it is now our tasks to carry, share, and partake the victory of Christ’s Cross to others. Time for us now, not to remain followers at the distance, but to take part in the mission of Jesus towards God’s salvation.

    Today, in the Solemnity of the Christ the King, we honor & celebrate the kingship of Jesus our Lord Christ in our lives today. However, we hear from our gospel today that Jesus, our King is not only a crucified king but also a king who is rejected, insulted, dishonored, and humiliated by the people. We cannot deny in our gospel today that Jesus Christ is a harassed, rejected, disgraced, maltreated, and persecuted King. Indeed, they mockingly proclaimed Jesus as King, but a Redeemer king who cannot even redeem and save himself – a needy king without a throne, and worse crucified on a cross.

    We do need to seriously reflect our gospel today, for it challenges us to deeply understand our faith not only on His kingship but most of all our faith in Jesus Himself. We might ask ourselves: “Do we really acknowledge and believe Jesus as Christ the king?” or “Are we like, Pontius Pilate who admits or not, because the crowd says so?” “Before me, who is Jesus? Who do I say Jesus is?”. Or perhaps ask ourselves: “who and what do I believe and worship? Is it God whom we believe and worship? Or we rather believe and worship our life, work, honor, wealth, and others than God himself?”

    This is a concrete call for us Christians to look deeply into our FAITH – our own personal commitment to what and who we really believe in.

    We honor Jesus today, our Christ and our King whom people have persecuted, humiliated, maltreated and rejected – somehow a needy PWD without hands & feet. “Would you still consider him as your King? Would you recognize and bear witness to Him as Your king? Or would you reject, dishonor, and persecute him again like what the crowds did and are doing today?”

    For come to think of it, God’s kingdom  does not rest only on the title of Christ the King but on our authentic witnessing and commitment of our faith in Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is not in the voice of the crowd & leaders shouting at Jesus on the cross “Save yourself & save us”, but in the testimony of the good & faithful thief saying “remember me when you into your Kingdom” & in the words of Jesus “Amen, You will be with me in Paradise.”  It is Vox fidelium, Vox Dei then rather than Vox Populi, Vox Dei. Meaning, the voice of God is not in the voice of the people but rather in the voice of God’s people – in the voice of all faithful believers of Jesus Christ.

    Thus, we witness now Jesus as our King, not only because of what he has done for us but most of all on His own Faith towards the Father and for the salvation of all. God’s kingdom and the kingship of Christ do not only mean name, power, and prestige of Jesus but more so our heartfelt and wholehearted profession, proclamation, witnessing and commitment to God’s salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God then requires our total and authentic faith-commitment to Christ, same way as Christ commits Himself to us & our Father.

    Again, here in our celebration today, we Christians are called to proclaim and witness our faith in Jesus Christ. As Jesus bears witness to His great love to the Father, we are also invited to the same total and wholehearted dedication and faith in Jesus. As Christians then, we should never be ashamed to express and proclaim our faith to ourselves, to each others and to others, even amidst the noisy crowd & popular opinions.

    Today, we honor Jesus and all Christians faithful who participate in sharing and spreading God’s salvation to the world. Because of them, the Cross of Christ continues now to be triumphant, and God’s grace, presence & kingdom reign in our lives.

    However, How about us, you & I now : Will we now be His hands, His Feet & His voice for others? Will we  now be Vox fidelium, Vox Dei? Will our voice of faith be God’s voice for all?

    Hinaut pa unta. So May It Be. Amen

  • Life ANEW

    Life ANEW

    November 24 – Solemnity of Christ the King

    Click here for the reading (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112424.cfm)

    “If & when given another chance, would you do it again or anew? Would you do it as before or better than before?”

    2014, before going to Korea to minister our Filipino Migrants & workers, I was assigned as a parish priest in our big Redemptorist parish found at the very heart of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Philippines. However, amidst the busyness and burdens of my responsibilities then, I was more drawn to the challenging life-question: “At this stage of my life, if and when given another chance by the Lord, would I do it again or anew? – would I do it as before or better as before?” These questions challenged me to review (to look again) my life as it, to think outside the box and out of my comfort zone, and to openly consider once again another vocation God is challenging me to be at midway of my life.

    While I responsively considered “a life not again but anew, and a life not as before but better than before”, eventually I found myself in Gwangju Korea, serving God and the Church as Redemptorist missionary in an entirely distinct culture, working with new set of people, both fellow Filipinos and foreigners, doing migrant ministry, which specifically differ from what I was used to do in parish work. Because of this and since then, my life is never the same again. Never I could imagine then to live my life in Korea for five years then because I reviewed & reconsidered a life anew and better than before with our Lord. Difficult it may be but surely my life has been more fruitful, enriching and blessed than as before.

    Sharing you my life-experience somehow give and offer you a glimpse of the spirit and meaning of our celebration today of the Solemnity of the Kingship of Christ.

    Today on the Solemnity of Christ the King, we celebrate the reign of Jesus Christ in our Christian life. We, the whole Christian world proclaim and witness today to Christ’s leadership and sovereignty in our Christian lives. Jesus Christ our King is our Way, Truth and Life who is our leader, guide, and force in faith & life as it was, as it is, and as will always be. Also, today on the Solemnity of Christ the King marks the end of our liturgical year.

    For the past year of Christian worship, we have followed and journeyed with the Lord in our life as we praise, believe, proclaim, serve, love, and live our faith in God with Jesus. Our recent past year with the Lord amidst the new normal does have its own challenges, difficulties, sufferings as well as blessings, growth, and opportunities. As we bid farewell to liturgical year B (reflecting mostly on the Jesus story as told to us through the Gospel of St. Mark), better also for us to review our life with the Lord this past year, and be more open to consider another and a new chance to journey in faith with our Lord.

    Perhaps also consider the question: “At this stage of your life, if and when given another chance by the Lord, would you do it again or anew? Would you do it as before or better as before? Would you maintain life as it is or rather improve life as it could be?”

    These questions take into account two important considerations: the role of Jesus in our life and our choice to follow and journey with Him in our life always.

    On one hand, these challenges give importance to the role of Jesus in our life. The life that we have and live now is a life of chances and opportunities God has given and shared us. In simple words, our life is a gift from God – not made, built, and programmed by us.

    Now, consider how he live our life. Do we recognize, believe, and worship God, the giver & sharer of life, who gives us the chance to live our life now? Does Jesus have apart, a role in our daily lives? Or rather, we recognize, believe and worship only ourselves &/or our life now with others than with God? So, in humility, healthy for us to reconsider our life as “If and when given another chance by the Lord” for we don’t really know how this God-given life could and will be.

    On the other hand, these challenges give importance to our choice to follow and journey with Jesus in our life always. As we consider our life as God-given chances and opportunities, we should also have to make a choice and commitment to live, lead and journey our lives in accordance and in faith with our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Here we are to live our lives as Christians disciples – following and journeying with Lord in life creatively. Being Christian is our choice of lifestyle – our way of being & living our life as human in the world, and participating in God’s recreation of our world. Living our life as Christian then gives meaning, spirit, and direction to live our God-given life anew and better than before, as well as fully reveals to us the leadership and sovereignty of the Lord’s Kingship through our lives to the world.

    Thus, Ours is a LIFE now to experience God’s love in Jesus and our chance to respond  “With Jesus, I love GOD too”.

    Our gospel reminds us our Lord Jesus Christ is a rejected and persecuted King and Leader. His Kingship then is not based on his command and authority with us His disciples, but on our choice to follow and journey with Him in life – living our life with Him. More than honor, praise, prestige due for Him as our Lord and King, Jesus desires our companionship, participation, and commitment to be and live with Him in our journey of life. Ask not the Lord like Pontius Pilate: “Are you the King?” but rather ask “Is Jesus my King?” Rather than probing on His kingship, anew and better then recognize, believe, choose, and live our lives with Jesus as our Way, Truth and Life in our world. Jesus is Christ the King because He is OUR very-owned King.

    Again, as we say Goodbye to Year B and say hello to another chance, but a new year of living with and in the Lord’s kingship, healthy for us to reconsider this question: ““At this stage of your life, if and when given another chance by the Lord, would you do it again or anew? Would you do it as before or better as before?”

  • A King at our side

    A King at our side

    November 20, 2022 – Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112022.cfm)

    What is your image of a king? How does he look like? What does he do? With so much influence from the cartoons, anime and movies that I watched since I was young, I would imagine a king who wears a golden crown, covered in a golden robe, sitting on a golden throne and living in a big palace. In fact, in the middle ages, a king is a powerful man who has thousands of armies, defeated countless enemies, or conquering other territories by waging bloody wars. Yet a king is untouchable. Commoners, slaves and servants cannot talk to him directly. Everyone serves him and pays tribute to him. His throne is too far from the ordinary people.

    Even up today, in other countries in the world some have kings, or emperors or sultans who give identity to their people and serve as a symbol of unity in their own kingdoms. They may not anymore engage in bloody wars unlike before, but still they have enormous wealth and riches. The royalties are reserved and ought to be served by the people.

    This is not far from how we imagine Jesus Christ our King. Influenced by the western culture of royalties, we also imagine Jesus Christ the king who wears a golden crown, wrapped in a golden robe and sits on a golden throne. However, this image, for me, seems to be a distant king who does not know the daily affairs of his people. A king who merely shows greatness, triumph and wealth, but has no concern and no close relationship with his own people.

    Indeed, the kingship of Jesus is not one who stays in a comfortable throne and pampered situation, but in a humiliating and humbling position, there on the cross. Yes, the Gospel speaks nothing of a king who is intoxicated with comfort and riches. What we have is a powerless king, crucified on the cross. This is Jesus’ statement that he is not an earthly king who only shows grandeur, control and domination over his subjects. He is a king who became like us, who lived with us and journeyed with us in every story of our life especially in those difficult and dark moments of our life. He is a king who knows your pain, who understands your struggle and who desires you and me, no matter what.

    He is not an unreachable king sitting there on the high golden throne but he is a God-with-us (Emmanuel). He is a king who knows us and our deepest secrets and desires. But he is a king who does not control and impose himself on us. He only calls and invites us to come to him. “Come to me and be embraced by my friendship,” this is the invitation of our King to us.

    This is the very reason why Jesus’ determination to call us and to gather us brought him into that difficult situation. Despite the danger and the suffering he would endure as king, he is always ready to take the risk to offer his life for our sake, that we may have freedom and healing. We find now his invitations for us through the three different people in the Gospel and their individual response to Jesus. So, let us look at them once more and discover how we are all called today, young and old alike.

    The first was the group of people such as the Jewish authorities and soldiers. These people refused to recognize Jesus as King and Messiah because he was a threat to them, a threat to their comfort, a threat to their influence and threat to their earthly power. Their hostile rejection of Jesus was a decision they made despite the invitations of Jesus for them to believe in Him. Jesus did not condemn them, he even asked forgiveness on their behalf. God’s offer of salvation and life is for all. Yet, our rejection of God’s friendship is our self-condemnation.

    The second was one of the criminals who insulted and reviled Jesus. He was actually confused and did not make any stand. He was lukewarm. He neither condemned Jesus nor accepted him as Lord, King and Redeemer. Despite the closeness of God in him on the cross, he did not recognize God in Jesus because he was still full of himself. He was unrepentant. Indeed, the Lord never imposes himself on us, but he waits for us.

    The third was the other man on the cross. He was the one who recognized God in Jesus and decided to accept Jesus as his Lord. This made him say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Being powerless on that cross, he was able to recognize the face of the Lord, his king. This person felt a God who accompanied him in his suffering and even towards death. Through his very suffering, he found God to be so close to him. In his shame and guilt, he found God at his side forgiving him. Jesus indeed, is the image of the invisible God, as Paul told us in his letter to the Colossians.

    This tells us now of a king who is close to us. Jesus is not a king who is distant from our sufferings and fears but a king who patiently and lovingly walks with us. God, indeed, meets us where we are and he is ready to be at our side in order to encounter us in the saddest and darkest part of our life.

    Yet, let us also remember that Jesus requires our participation, our response. To every person that Jesus met, he gave them the chance to recognize him but the hardness of their hearts and because of their arrogance, they refused to see Jesus. But with this other man on the cross, in recognizing his sins and failures in life, that brought him into that realization that he was in need of God. This means that when we humbly recognize our weaknesses and sins we also recognize God’s love for us. This becomes, then, an opportunity for God to transform our life. And so let that redeeming love, that un-imposing and self-sacrificing love of our King who hangs upon the cross to embrace us, to renew us and to empower us as young people and as God’s people. Kabay pa.

  • Our Witnessing of HIM

    Our Witnessing of HIM

    November 20, 2022 – Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112022.cfm)

    Usually during Eucharist, after the homily, we stand up and renew our faith by saying the words: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty..” These words are the very foundation of our Christian faith and of our Eucharistic celebration. By professing our Christian faith, we renew our Christian commitment and we articulate our witnessing to God’s salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    There are moments, however that we express our faith without any serious intentions and commitments. There are moments that some would even say these words halfheartedly and without sense & spirit at all. Like a memorized formula, saying those words without meaning it. Worse, others cannot even memorize those words. I remember once, during Baptism and Easter Vigil Mass, where we usually renew our faith, when the priest: “Do you believe in God the Father?”, rarely you would hear a loud response: “I do believe”. Others would not even respond at all, as though they don’t care if we and they believe at all.   

    Today, we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King. We honor the kingship of Jesus Christ in our lives today. However, we hear from our gospel today that Jesus, our King is not only a crucified king but also a king who is rejected, insulted, dishonored, and humiliated by the people. We cannot deny in our gospel today that Jesus Christ is a harassed, rejected, disgraced, maltreated, and persecuted King. Indeed, they proclaimed Jesus as King, but a Redeemer king who cannot even redeem and save himself – a king without a throne, and worse crucified on a cross. 

    We do need to seriously reflect our gospel today, for it challenges us to deeply understand our faith not only on his Kingship but most of all our faith in Jesus himself. We might ask ourselves: “Do we really acknowledge and believe Jesus as Christ the king?” or “Are we like, Pontius Pilate who admits or not, because others say so?” “Before me, who is Jesus? Who do I say Jesus is?”. Or perhaps ask ourselves: “who and what do I believe and worship? Is it God whom we believe and worship? Or we rather believe and worship our life, work, honor, wealth, and others than God himself?”

    This is a concrete call for us Christians to look deeply into our own personal commitment to what and who we really believe in. We honor Jesus today, our Christ and our King whom people have persecuted, humiliated, maltreated and rejected. “Would you still consider him as your King? Would you recognize and bear witness to Him as your king? Or would you reject, dishonor, and persecute him again like what others did and are doing today?”

    God’s kingdom then does not rest only the kingship of Christ but on our authentic witnessing and commitment of our faith in Jesus Christ. As His Witnesses now, we consider Jesus as our King, not only because of what he has done but most of all on His own commitment towards the Father and for the salvation of all. God’s kingdom and the kingship of Jesus Christ do not only mean name, power, and prestige of Jesus but moreso our heartfelt and wholehearted profession, proclamation, witnessing and commitment to God’s salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God then requires our total and authentic commitment to Christ, as Christ commits himself to us & our Father.

    Again, here in our celebration today, we Christians are called to proclaim and witness our faith in Jesus Christ. As Jesus bears witness to his great love to the Father, we are also invited to the same total and wholehearted dedication and faith in Jesus. Brothers and sisters, as Christians, we should not be ashamed to express and proclaim our faith to ourselves, to each others and to others. As Filipino Catholics, we look also forward now to the next 500 years of our Christian faith & witnessing here & abroad.

    As we end and about to begin a new liturgical year, let our eucharist today be  another beginning to renew our faith, that is to make our faith better than ever.  Amen.