34th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King
Sam 5:1-3 Col 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43
Today is the last Sunday in the Liturgical year of Saint Luke. Each Sunday we have read from Saint Luke’s gospel.
In Chapter 3, verses 21-22, Luke tells us of the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. This is the start of the public ministry of Jesus and at this moment Jesus moves to fully identify himself with the human race. “Though he was God, he emptied himself to become one of us”, though he was sinless he wanted to share a baptism with us.
Throughout the year as we read from his gospel, Saint Luke has taken us from the Jordan to Jerusalem.This has been a journey of real-life situations with the Lord, the Lord of real life! Saint Luke who is very much a domestic evangelist portrays Jesus as one who is truly human, who understands and experiences human situations, who feels and acts as any one of us might do. When the livelihood of the apostles was at stake because they failed to catch any fish, Jesus miraculously provided them with an abundance. When those following him were hungry, Jesus fed 5000 of them with five loaves and two fish. He cared about the ordinary needs of everyday. When they were ill and disabled, Jesus healed them – in the domestic situation He healed centurion’s servant or in a more social and community situation, Jesus healed ten outcasts who were lepers. When they were ignorant and needing teaching, Jesus used simple stories of real-life situations to instruct them and led them in prayer to the Father to show them how to give praise and thanksgiving and how to petition the Father for their needs.
Saint Luke is noted for the way he uses hospitality and table fellowship to help us be relaxed in the company of the Lord and aware that the Lord is present in the ordinary and enjoyable events of life. Jesus eats with sinners and relaxes with friends. Martha and Mary and Lazarus are close friends; Jesus loves them, loves to be with them, to share their joys and cry with them in their sorrows. The ultimate act of identifying with us is the subject of the Gospel reading of today’s Mass. Jesus, as truly human, identifies with us in dying and in death.But, the sign above the Cross reads ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews’!!
The Gospel of Saint Matthew for the Feast of Christ the King has Jesus sitting as King on the day of Judgement. Saint Mark has Jesus being questioned about his Kingship. Luke has Jesus hanging on a Cross, weak and vulnerable. This vulnerability seems to make Him easily accessible even to great sinners! “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom”. Could any one of us make such a request of a king sitting on a throne?
Yes, for us this figure hanging on the Cross is ‘the image of the unseen God’. He is ‘the first born of all creation’. ‘In Him all things were created’. He is ‘the first in every way’. (Col 1:12-20) Our King hangs upon a Cross. His torn body which is like ours gives us hope that through him we can be called to something of the same glory that is His.
Glory and eternal Praise to Him who is King of heaven and of earth.