First Reading

A reading from the Book of Samuel (5:1-3)

In those days, all the tribes of Isreal came to David in Hebron and said: "Here we are, your bone and your flesh. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the Lord said to you, "You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.""

When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the Lord, and they anointed him king of Israel.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5)

(R) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me, "We will go up to the house of the Lord." And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. (R)

Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. (R)

According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (1:12-20)

Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (23:35-43)

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise".

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

One day a king was passing through a village in his chariot. Jubilant villagers lined along the street to greet him but were prevented to go near him. One man standing in the middle of the street was trying to block the chariot so that he could see the king closely. People were calling out to him to move away. They feared the king would order his servants to kill him. But the king stopped the chariot, called the man to come near him and whispered something in his ear. The people were surprised that the king was so kind to him and appreciated his trick to get close to the king. Out of curiosity they asked him, "What did the king say?" He refused to say anything. But they insisted that he tells them the secret. "OK", he said, "for now, I only want to say that the king spoke to me." The people pleaded with him, "Please..., please tell us. What did the king tell you?" He said loudly for everyone to hear, "Oh, the king said "Get out of my way, Imbecile."

Friends, Jesus was born a king. But many people refused to accept or declare him king. They tried to prevent him from becoming king right from the beginning and yet no one or anything could stop Jesus from becoming king. Each year the last Sunday of November is not just the conclusion of the liturgical year but also a summary of our lives as Christians. On this day we are called upon to acknowledge and honour and proclaim Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning him in our hearts and allowing him to take control of our lives. Today's gospel on the crucifixion of Jesus reminds us that our King is not an imperial king who coerces people to obey his directives from afar and is often filled with anger and wrath for our disobedience but rather a shepherd king who leads us humbly and is always filled with compassion and mercy for us. He is reigning, not from a throne but from a cross. He is a suffering King who is despised and rejected, ridiculed and challenged by people to prove his kingship by coming down from the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus Christ generously and willingly offers his life to God his Father and His plan to redeem all mankind from sin and death. The kingship of Jesus is therefore made manifest most perfectly in his suffering and death on the cross.

While Jesus is on the Cross, people place an inscription above him - INRI. It stands for IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM which means Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. The sign is meant to mock and humiliate him, not to praise him. They call out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Jesus is crucified like a common criminal but He is still the King. As the Lord's Anointed, Jesus humbles himself for us and becomes a suffering king. As a matter of fact, the Kingship of Jesus had been prophesied several hundred years before His birth. In the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Christ the Messiah is portrayed as a king. For instance the prophesy of Micah (5:1) was, "You (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past, to the days of old."

The New Testament books also point out Jesus as the long awaited king of the Jews. An angel of the Lord announces the birth of Jesus in the House of David to the chosen woman, Mary, Luke (1:32-33). "He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end." The wise men from the East come to Jerusalem and ask, "Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage." Pilate asks Jesus, "So, then you are king? Jesus answered, "It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice".", John (18:37).

Friends, when we accept Jesus as the king of our lives, then as loyal subjects we need to surrender our lives to his rule. What is his rule? His rule consists in seeking the lost, offering salvation to those who call out to him and listen to his voice.

On the day of Jesus' crucifixion on Calvary, someone was listening to Jesus. One of the criminals hanging there rebukes the other who reviles Jesus by saying to him, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." This criminal sees something what others do not see in Jesus. He sees Jesus as his King. Therefore he prays, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

What kind of kingdom does the Crucified Jesus have? Perhaps the criminal heard Jesus praying to his Father for the forgiveness for those who crucify Him, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." So the criminal asks Jesus to remember him too. In other words he wanted Jesus to forgive him as well as give him the grace to forgive those who crucify him. Jesus replies, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Jesus' kingdom therefore is a paradise or heaven or kingdom of peace. As Jesus opens the door of heaven to the criminal who has confessed his sins and sought for mercy, Jesus also opens the gate of heaven to us. If we truly repent for our sins, Jesus is always willing to forgive us as he does for the repentant criminal.

Let us pray in the words of Saint Paul to the Colossians (3:15), "May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts, because it is for this that we are called together in one body and always be thankful."

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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