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Strong Foundations

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Today’s readings are all about foundations. A simple matter, really. Foundations are often overlooked in the everyday world. But that does not make them any less important.

In the First Reading we hear about nations who have a strong foundation and those that do not. “A strong city have we; He sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you”.

This nation is strong, safe, and peaceful because of its trust in the Lord.

On the flip side, “He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; he tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.”

This nation, however, was disintegrated because of the lack of trust. It rose higher and higher with the false belief that it was strong, that it did not need him. Only buildings with weak foundations fall. It’s no wonder that the Lord was able to crush it to dust! We are like the two nations, either with the strong foundation or without. We need a strong foundation, and that comes from trusting in the Lord.

Besides not wanting to crumble into dust, why should we trust in the Lord? The Lord will build us a strong foundation. “For the LORD is an eternal Rock.” We need a solid foundation, and we are given one! Rock! Solid, strong, lovely rock. Our Rock – the sturdy building material that we need – is the Lord.

In the Gospel Jesus brings up construction once more. He tells us the story of a wise man and a foolish man who built their houses differently. The wise man built his on rock, and the foolish man built his on sand. The storm came, and the wise man’s house was perfect, no damage, no nothing. The foolish man’s house however, came crashing down due to a weak foundation. I can only imagine that he was caught under it, trying to shelter from the storm when it did.

The difference between the two men’s houses was their foundation. The one with a sturdy foundation of Rock survived, and the one with a weak foundation did not. The same thing happens in our lives. We need to build up our houses, our spiritual foundations to be strong. We must root them in rock, the eternal rock, the Lord, if we want to weather the storm. If we build on false beliefs and false foundations, when the storm comes the house will collapse.

So, are you built upon rock, or in the sand? Are you ready for the winds that will buffet and blow your house? Are you ready for the unexpected tests and trials that life is going to throw your way? We need a strong sturdy foundation. That foundation can only be found in the eternal rock, the Lord. It’s time to get building.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Trusting God Is Guiding Us

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In my lifetime, there’s never been a year like this year, a year where nearly every single person on the entire planet can say it has been a rough year.  Between the pandemic, natural disasters, social unrest, economic hardship, and on and on, everyone has faced some kind of struggle this year. Our readings today are just the kind of hopeful reminder we need in such times.

As the Psalm says, the Lord is our shepherd. Like sheep, we may not understand where he is leading us, but we know we are in his care.

Like those listening to Jesus in today’s gospel, God will provide us what we need if we stay with Him. Sometimes, though, His aid may not come at the time we would like, or in the manner we expect. We may have to wrestle with literal or figurative hunger for a time.

As our first reading reminds us, this life is not our permanent state. We must remember the eternal banquet to come. On that heavenly mountain, God will save us from our physical afflictions, like hunger and thirst. He will resolve our interpersonal conflicts, taking away what divides us. He will heal our emotional wounds, wiping away our tears. Our sins and mistakes, He will wash away.

So, my prayer for all of us today is this: Lord, help us to trust in You, to remember You are guiding us even when we cannot see or understand how.  Help us to remember this life is only our temporary home, and to keep our eyes fixed on You and our eternal home.  Amen.

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J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”

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Lord, Deepen Our Faith

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In what way is Jesus contrasting revealing truths to the childlike and hiding them from the wise and the learned? The truth of the Gospel, which we proclaim during Advent, is that Jesus Christ united Himself to mankind as our Redeemer. We may not fully understand the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of our Lord, but we believe the Gospel with a child’s faith that God would not deceive us. This does not mean that we will never question the beliefs of our faith, but our questioning is to understand not to undermine. The wise and the learned that Jesus is referring to, question out of skepticism and unbelief, the Cross to them is absurd (see I Cor. 1:18-25). They think in their worldly wisdom that the Cross and Resurrection are just unsupportable myths that the simple-minded believe in, because they are ignorant and do not know any better. Jesus is not disparaging being wise or learned, there are many wise men who do have faith in Jesus Christ – St. Thomas Aquinas to name one of many examples. Yet as St. Thomas once declared, he learned more from prayer and contemplation than he ever did from men and books. During Advent, let us renew our confidence and trust in God’s love for us, and with child-like faith believe that God is working for our good – even if the circumstances seem to indicate otherwise. As St. Paul tells us “We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purposes” (Rm. 8:28).

In the second part of this passage, Jesus states that the disciples have seen and heard what many Old Testament kings and prophets wished they had seen and heard but did not. The disciples had met the Messiah in person, the greatest gift in the history of mankind. Rather than debating which of them was the greatest, which they did on several occasions, they should be thankful for the great blessing God had bestowed on them. This is also true for us. Even though we have not seen Christ in person, Christ says we are blessed because we believe even though we have not seen (see Jn. 20:29). This blessing should remind us of how thankful we should be to God for revealing to us the truth about His Son, and to share this love and revelation with others. This Advent let us ask God to deepen our faith in His love, and in turn, to be a light to other people of God’s kingdom here on earth, in the person of Jesus Christ.

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Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.  She is the co-founder of www.inspirethefaith.com and the Executive Director of The Sacred Heart Enthronement Network www.WelcomeHisHeart.com. She has co-authored several Catholic books and her next one, Secrets of the Sacred Heart: Claiming Jesus’ Twelve Promises in Your Life, comes out in Oct. 2020. Emily serves on the board of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference, contributes to Relevant Radio and Catholic Mom.com.

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The Call

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Here we are, the first Monday of the first week of Advent. As Catholics, it’s kind of cool that we get to jumpstart the New Year while the old one is still winding down. Hopefully we found energy and fervor in yesterday’s Mass which encouraged us to joyfully embark on the year ahead. But if yesterday felt lackluster, for whatever reason, the Church in her wisdom made sure to follow it up with a strong Day 2.

We meet four disciples in a mere four verses of Scripture today – Peter, Andrew (whose feast day it happens to be), James and John. Two sets of brothers, two calls of Jesus, two nearly identical responses. Matthew doesn’t mince words in this particular story. Jesus calls, the brothers drop what they are doing, and immediately follow Him.

There is something to be said for Matthew’s lack of details and practically no dialogue at all. When Jesus calls you, you come. Period. How simple it sounds! We know that these men were not perfect, the Gospels do not hide their faults from us. But they did have their moments of clarity, and for these 4 this was one of them.

What can we learn from this brief yet profound exchange? Clearly when Jesus calls you to something it ought not be shirked away from. Often there are things, or even people, we need to leave behind. We don’t always know exactly where Jesus is calling us to. Becoming “fishers of men” isn’t the most detailed or understandable goal for a journey.

One of the great themes of Advent is Mary’s fiat, her “Yes” at the Annunciation to God’s plan for her life and for the salvation of the world. Today, the first working day of Advent, we are blessed by not one, but four yeses. There are similarities and differences between the two experiences, but the end result is the same.  Though they did not know how at the time, each person’s life was radically changed by their intimate encounter with the Lord.

We are being called to a similar encounter. This is a brand new year. What opportunities is God calling you to? How can you give your own yes to His summons? God is calling you by name to something extraordinary, even if it feels ordinary. No matter who you are, you are called to share the Good News of God’s amazing love in a unique and beautiful way.

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Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at DailyGraces.net.

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Be Watchful

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This year has been a test of faith, probably more so than any one previous. This statement is not to be taken lightly. In 2001, I stood as a bushy-eyed high schooler only a few streets away from Ground Zero on the day nearly 3,000 others had their lives abruptly stolen from them. In 2014, we lost our son to stillbirth after what had been an otherwise uneventful first pregnancy. Through it all, moments of adversity force us to open our eyes to what is most important. This year, I have seen countless more lives lost, both near and far away from me. The grief can be deep and overwhelming; the darkness, heavy and lonely.

In contrast, giving thanks for what we have in 2020 has taken on a new meaning. Even the smallest blessings must not be taken for granted. From food and jobs to our health and each other, there is so much to praise God for.

Now more than ever before, as we begin this Advent season, we must depend on the living steadfastness of the Lord for continued restoration. Today’s readings include the Psalm, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”  2020 has been a constant reminder that this world is not our world. His ways are not our ways. But rather, one must “wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful.” We must continue to savor then, each day He grants us as a gift, and spread the light of being Christian to others, so that we can all remain ready for Him. As the work of His hands, we must live each day giving glory and honor to Him through humble service and love.

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Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.

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Cry out: Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

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Today is the last day of the liturgical year. For a whole year we have journeyed and struggled and wrestled and wondered and wandered with humanity as we have liturgically made our way from creation through re-creation to this day. I believe the Church wants us to rejoice, to tremble with the excited conscious wonder at what has been given to us, what is our destiny in Christ.

The First Reading begins:

“An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,
sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God
and of the Lamb down the middle of the street,
On either side of the river grew the tree of life
that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;
the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.” (Revelation 22: 1-2).

In the end-times, the final river that will flow forever from the throne of God and the heart of the Lamb, the eternal city, the new Jerusalem hearkens back to Genesis, the primordial  garden where we first encounter a river: “In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens … a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground” (Genesis 2:4, 6).

However, in the fullness of time and in life everlasting, the river of life-giving water will not rise from the earth but, sparkling like crystal, it will flow from the throne of God and the Lamb, and flow through the middle of the street of the city.

In the garden, leaves became the means for Adam and Eve to hide their naked shame from God, from the Creator who loved them, sustained them, desired their complete and forever happiness. They used fig leaves to cover themselves after they had eaten of the fruit at the bidding of the serpent. In everlasting time, as the book of Revelation tell us, leaves are no longer associated with sorrow and sin and the craftiness of the serpent that brings death and destruction. The leaves of the trees are now the means of healing and health and wholeness and holiness. They serve as medicine for the nations.

We, my friends, know this. The Church places this mystery squarely before our praying hearts and open eyes. The darkened confusing clouds that swirl around people today break the hearts of our brothers and sisters, blinding them to this vision. Too many have never heard it preached to them.

But we have. We have! Today! In this very liturgy! Or if we cannot participate in Mass, in this moment of meditation on the Word. We too live in the confusing chaos of our times, but we have heard of the Fountain of living water that rises within us and the city of Jerusalem that awaits us!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. This culminating glory that overflows our hearts spills out into the beginning again of our liturgical remembrance and celebration of the One who has saved us, who reversed our sickness and death and heals us, fills us with life, and washes us in his blood.

In the Responsorial Psalm let us truly cry out: Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy! Begin Advent with joyful excitement and cry out:

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

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Sr. Kathryn J. HermesKathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.

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The Kingdom of God is at Hand

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For me the day after Thanksgiving has no special meaning or space like an annual routine. As the years have passed, so has what the day holds. There have been times when I’ve been bundled (along with my sisters) into the car to visit family, as well as times when I’ve done the bundling with my own children.

Some mornings I’ve quickly put together a crock pot of chicken chili to share with my co-workers during a harried retail lunch on the fly. There have been many day after Fridays that held brief quiet moments of breakfast prep before the ‘gang’ invaded the kitchen. These last few years have been times to sip my cup of tea while the busyness continues on around me.

The readings are very fitting for today. I say that because the kingdom of God is here among us. Here God lives among his people (Ps 84:3 and Rev 21:3b), in every situation, every day. It is up to me if I choose to be a positive influence in His kingdom.

The psalm today speaks of the soul yearning and pining for the courts of the Lord as the heart and flesh cry out for the living God. He is here, present among us in the Eucharist. He is present in the Gospel. He is present in each and every person.  His kingdom is all arounds us.

There is no question that the situations in our world are challenging. The alleluia exclamation today tells us to, ‘stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand’. It is a conscious act to choose to be free from the darkness of thoughts and actions. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a great practice that helps me through the struggle of my day and thoughts falling apart. I also find great comfort in the Stations of the Cross.

Know that the situations will change and time will go forward. Listen to the song Together. Know how you look upon the world really does make a difference. Know that His kingdom is at hand.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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An Attitude of Gratitude

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It’s always interesting to hear the reactions when we have a period of Indian summer during our Michigan autumn. Some are in seventh heaven, pull out the golf clubs, throw some meat on the grill and soak it up. Others are saddened that their anticipation of Christmas is waylaid and wish for chillier weather or even snow. Others just go with the flow, knowing that the cold will be back soon enough.

This could be a great metaphor for our spiritual life as well. When we feel the warmth of summer in our souls, do we act upon it? When the flame of the Holy Spirit burns within us, do we pull out our clubs and swing away, so to speak?

When we are saddened because we are in a period of waiting, and that joyful anticipation has seemingly disappeared, do we lament and wish for things to be different? Or do we live in the moment and take more time for prayer?

Or are we just floating along on a lazy river, steering neither left nor right, up nor down, just letting life take us where it may? Is this really living?

It all comes down to gratitude. If you think about it, the measure of our gratefulness is the measure of our joy. If we are thankful for the warmth and thankful for the chill and thankful for everything in between, we will find ourselves content.

And with joy-filled hearts we will be able to proclaim together with the Psalmist: “Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; give thanks to him; bless his name. For he is good: the Lord, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

What an amazing cascade of praise! Many of us struggle to eek out a simple “thank you”. Can you imagine your soul being so full that you could not stop expressing  your gratitude?!

So on this day set aside to give thanks, let us shift our thoughts to the positive, let us remember all of God’s mercies, all of His blessings and be grateful for what truly matters. It may be warm today and cold tomorrow, but God’s love is with us through it all. Thank you, Lord!

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Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling home improvement projects, finding fun ways to keep her four boys occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, runs her own blog at https://togetherandalways.wordpress.com and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for almost 20 years.

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Christ Over Cancel Culture

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Cancel culture is something we’ve become all too familiar with in our current, well, culture. But, for those of you who may not know what cancel culture is – on dictionary.com, cancel culture is described as being, “the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.”

Society has been trying to cancel Christianity, and especially Catholicism, for a long time now. They’ve been taking God out of our schools, silencing our voices on social media and so much more. And everything we say related to the faith is most definitely considered “offensive.”

What we’re experiencing in our culture today sounds a lot like today’s Gospel reading, where Jesus says to the crowd, “they will seize and persecute you” and “you will be hated by all because of my name.”

We’ve already been persecuted. We’re already hated. This isn’t news to us. In fact, it’s been happening to Christians for centuries. We can instead draw strength from our brothers and sisters that have gone before us and who have dealt with the same persecutions that we’re facing. We can pray through the intercession of the martyrs who willingly gave up their lives in defense of the faith.

We can also look to Christ as our example – a man who was so reviled and hated for his counter-cultural teachings that they sought any way to put him to death. His death wasn’t the political victory the Romans and Jewish leaders thought it would be. Rather, it was a spiritual victory for all who followed after Christ, a victory that cancelled sin and death and opened the gates of Heaven for us all.

Jesus wasn’t cancelled. Neither are we cancelled, although many may try. Instead, we give testimony to our faith in God and our relationship with Jesus, looking to the Holy Spirit to inspire us with the words “that will be powerless to resist or refute.” For when we preach what is good, true and beautiful, it is impossible to ignore.

This Gospel isn’t one of despair or distress; rather, it is one of hope, for Jesus tells us that not a hair on our heads will be destroyed and “by perseverance you will secure your lives.”

So, no matter what the world believes or may try to do, we have the power. We have the victory. We have Christ on our side, Christ who is bigger than the world and who cancels out everything about cancel culture.

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Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following graduation, she began volunteering in youth ministry at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Her first “big girl” job was in collegiate sports information where, after a busy two years in the profession on top of serving the youth, she took a leap of faith and followed the Lord’s call to full-time youth ministry at St. Peter Church. She still hopes to use her communication arts degree as a freelance writer and statistician, though. You can catch her on the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter @erinmadden2016.

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It’s Going to be OK

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In all the other years of my life, even ones that were less than great, I haven’t taken much notice of the Scripture passages we read as we came to the end of the liturgical year. That’s not to say I was oblivious but the end of days seemed too fantastical and far off to cause me much interior unsettledness. After this year, though, I suspect we are all sitting up a little straighter in the pews. What if this is it? What if this is the beginning of the end? Perhaps the sickles are soon to be swung across the earth separating the saints and the sinners. Maybe the destruction of the temple is upon us. Our nation is rising against itself, there were a record number of wildfires, a record number of tropical storms, and some weird clouds of dust that blew over from Africa.

I’ve posed this question to my husband several times this year as bad thing kept following bad thing. The poor man shook his head because he doesn’t share my embrace of memento mori, that is, the remembrance of one’s own death.

For a while, I secretly kind of hoped it was the start of end days. It’s been a tiring year of wave after wave of events that make me want to crawl back under the covers in the morning. Let’s be done with it, I thought. But I’m reminded of some wise words from St. Paul in his letter to the Romans. “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts” (Rom 5:5) and “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20).

As we hear about the end of the world in our liturgical readings, I suspect this isn’t it and that’s ok. I could be wrong, and that’s ok too. There’s much we don’t know and the uncertainty is hard for many of us. What we do know is that we must remain hopeful. We will die one day and the world will end one day. As Christians we deal with that through the virtue of hope in eternal joy with God in heaven. Our time here on earth is tiny compared to our time in eternity. Hope in this reality will not disappoint us.

We find further comfort knowing that even though there is a lot of sin and ugliness right now and it may feel bleak, God will shower us in grace. And in the end, whether we’re talking about our life, our world or just this rotten time, it’s going to be ok. Have hope and pray for grace. It really is going to be ok.

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Merridith Frediani’s perfect day includes prayer, writing, unrushed morning coffee, reading, tending to dahlias, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids.  She loves finding God in the silly and ordinary.  She writes for Ascension Press, Catholic Mom, and her local Catholic Herald in Milwaukee. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Eucharistic Adoration is expected to be released summer 2021. You can reach her at merridith.frediani@gmail.com

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Some Gave All

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In today’s Gospel we hear of a poor widow who gives everything she has – two small coins – to the treasury. Although wealthy people gave more than two coins, Jesus says that the poor widow put in more than anyone else because she gave from her poverty rather than from surplus. Regarding what we are called to give, Pope Francis says, “Faced with the needs of others, we are called to deprive ourselves of essential things, not only the superfluous; we are called to give the necessary time, not only what remains extra; we are called to give immediately and unconditionally some of our talent, not after using it for our own purposes or own group”. Christ and the Church are not concerned with monetary generosity. Rather, they are concerned with generosity of the heart. When we give of our time, treasure and talent, are we giving that which is extra or are we, like the poor widow, giving our whole selves, our whole livelihoods? We are called to love one another as Christ loved the Church. Christ gave His life for the Church, so, in the same way, we are called to lay down our lives out of love for Him and His Church. That means something different for all of us. For some of us, it is religious life. For others it may mean working for the Church in lay ministry. And for others it means loving our families – our husbands, wives, children, siblings, and parents – and helping them on the path toward Heaven.

How fitting for today’s Gospel that we celebrate three saints – St. Clemente I, St. Columban, and Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro – who like the poor widow in the Gospel gave their all to the Church. St. Clemente I was an early pope who was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown off a boat into the Black Sea. St. Columban dedicated his life to Christ and the Church through the monastic life. Bl. Miguel Agustín Pro, like St. Clement I, was martyred. He was martyred in Mexico in the early 20th century. These three saints are examples of the ways in which we strive to dedicate our lives to Christ and the Church.

As we enter into this holiday season of thanksgiving and gift-giving, may we remember the one who gave His all in forgiveness of our sins.

“…since we are travelers and pilgrims in this world, let us think upon the end of the road, that is our life, for the end of the way is our home…Many lose their true home because they have greater love for the road that leads them there. Let us not love the road rather than our home, in case we should lose our eternal home, for our home is such that we should love it.”  (from St. Columban “The True Meaning of Our Whole Livelihood”)

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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Christ is King, and Not Just in Heaven

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Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This impressive title calls to mind Christ’s heavenly glory and His power over nature. But how often do we think of the authority of Christ on earth?

Our readings give us a hint of this: imagery of Christ as the Good Shepherd surrounds talk of Christ’s all-encompassing victory over the grave. The First Reading and the Psalm give a comforting picture of a Lord Who provides for all the needs of His people, watching over and protecting them in this life and preparing them for the next. These are important duties of earthly authorities: protect your subjects and promote the common good. They bring out Christ’s daily guidance of His people.

Deeper still, we see the Good Shepherd take on the responsibility of judgment in Matthew’s Gospel. The Son of God takes judgment beyond the earth: He is the judge of our eternal state, and can give eternal rewards and punishments. Of course, this is nothing new to us, since we already know that God has authority in the heavenly sphere.

What about the earthly sphere? Matthew 25 not only refers to eternal judgment, but also to earthly authority. Just as the kings of the earth can punish our wicked actions and incentivize our righteous ones in this life, so can Jesus Christ the King do the same. The difference, at least in this passage, is that He chooses to wait until the final judgment to hand down His decisions. This does not mean that our actions or inactions do not matter, but rather that the response comes later than we might expect.

This can catch us off guard, but it is important to keep perspective. In the Old Testament, before the coming of Christ, it was common for God to mete out harsh punishments in the moments following grave sin. We need only to look at Sodom and Gomorrah, the Golden Calf incident, and the Ten Plagues to see examples.

Now, rewards and punishments are still present, but many of them are reserved for the afterlife. Christ speaks of earthly tribulation in store for His faithful disciples, but promises eternity for those who last until the end. He often chooses to simply rebuke rather than smite sinners in His public ministry, but He is clear about their final state. The judgment is still there, claimed by Jesus Christ the King, but it might not come until purgatory, heaven, or hell.

Remembering this fact helps us to keep in mind that Jesus is still watching over us — a central point in the readings. Christ holds authority over both heaven and earth, the entire universe, and we experience that authority differently depending on our relationship with Him. In this life, we may either hear the gentle call of the Shepherd or feel the strong sting of His rod. After death, we will hear Him say either “Depart from me!” or “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.”

To those who love Him and seek to walk in his paths, the supreme authority of Christ the King is something sweet. To those who ignore His commands and go astray, it is terrifying. Confident in our Faith, let us happily follow our King wherever He leads.

Contact the author

David Dashiell is the Associate Director of Liturgy for a group of parishes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he is not spending time with his wife and infant daughter, he is writing on philosophy and theology for various online publications. You can find some of these in Crisis Magazine and the Imaginative Conservative, and you can contact him at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.

Feature Image Credit: mileschristi,  https://www.cathopic.com/photo/4129-divina-majestad