Sunday Mass for the Solemnity of Christ the King 2020 - Year A

Welcome to St. Ignatius Chapel. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Our celebrant today is Jesuit Fr. Russell Pollitt SJ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [Amen.] The grace and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. [And with your spirit.] We come together today to celebrate this last Sunday of the year which is the Feast of Christ the King. And we are supposed to hold Christ up always as our model.

01:02 - For the times, perhaps, we notice in our own lives that we have failed to imitate Christ the humble King, let’s now ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness. Have mercy on us, O Lord. [For we have sinned against you.] Show us, O Lord, your mercy. [And grant us your salvation.] May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting. [Amen.] And let’s pray: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

02:16 - For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. And let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. [Amen.] A reading from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel Thus says the Lord: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

03:50 - I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice. “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats. The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. [The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

] 04:38 - The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. [The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.] Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul. He guides me along the right path, for the sake of his name. [The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.] You have prepared a table before me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. [The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

05:25 - In the LORD’S own house shall I dwell for length of days unending. [The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.] A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Brethren: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all shall die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

06:10 - But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one. The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming.

07:17 - Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit] A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. [Glory to you, O Lord.] Jesus said to his disciples: When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to see me.

’ 08:41 - Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these of my brothers or sisters, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ They will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. The Gospel of the Lord. [Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ.] In the early Church they believed that you could only confess your sins once, so some people would wait until near death to make a confession and to be d.

10:46 - The Roman emperor waited a long time, despite what the Da Vinci Code tells you about him, and when he thought death was imminent, he was baptised, round the year 337 AD. And this was a watershed moment in the Christian Church because in the year 313 AD Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of state, of the Roman State. He did this to try and unify the empire, as trade and law and taxation and Roman culture had already begun to do. And by doing this, Constantine gave a mixed blessing to Christianity. On the positive side, he brought an end to the persecution of early Christians.

11:52 - Many of the Emperors had wondered what type of love would see so many followers of a man willing to give up their lives for their belief. It also meant the Church played a significant role in shaping and moulding the values of society, especially Western society. Christianity seemed to moderate and cultivate and humanise some of the worst excesses of the Roman Empire. But there was a negative side as well. The Church becomes very powerful, very quickly. Bishops begin to wear purple, and dress as the Roman Emperors do of the Roman Senate.

12:47 - We know, even today, we see in the way that bishops dress some of that from this era. Churches took on the shape of Roman Basilicas. The government of the Church mirrored that of the Empire. The liturgy imported all sorts of practices that were performed in Roman Temples. And sadly, conversion to Christianity was demanded by the sword. There was no room for religious pluralism in this regime. And up until the time of Constantine, the most, perhaps, well-known image of Jesus was the Good Shepherd. After Constantine, it’s not surprising the Christ the King becomes the most popular image. Mary, then, is also presented as a Queen. And these are important facts to take note of. Because it shows how in a particular era, in a specific time and place, our faith is practiced and impacted on by the social, the political, and the economic context in which it was lived.

14:19 - And so despite the shenanigans that shaped this Feast of Christ the King, which is always celebrated on the last Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical Year, we are presented with a stark contrast: the image of a King. The one perhaps that we so often esteem to, of success, of power, of status, or control, or popularity, or riches, vs. the image of the Kingdom of Jesus, one that is spoken about very clearly in the scripture we hear today. Ezekiel, the image of a king as the shepherd who in darkness seeks and rescues his sheep by bringing back the strays, by binding the injured, by strengthening the weak, and making sure that justice is done. Or Matthew’s Gospel, the one who feeds the hungry, quenches the thirst of those who long for something to drink, who welcomes strangers, clothes the naked, and cares for the sick and for prisoners.

15:44 - The real authentic sign of Christ the King is revealed in our loving and not in dutiful response to others. The real danger that Christ the King ironically points out is that we suffer from a blindness that renders us incapable of seeing the poor, of seeing the poverty that exists in all its forms around us, spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, and economically. Christ the King, this feast that we celebrate today reminds us that so often we are blinded and not able to see our interconnectedness. And that connectedness is between our lives of faith and those living in squalor in townships in this country. All the undercurrents of xenophobia which always seem to be flowing in our society, or our unwillingness to welcome those who are part of the LGBTI community, or those who we cast aside because they have HIV, or the harsh judgement we in our own Christian community make on those who are remarried.

17:23 - You see all of these are the very symbols and expression of what it means to live in the Kingdom of Christ. To belong to the Kingdom of Christ. Our positions, the positions that we take, indicate more powerfully than our words, or our profession of faith who and what Kingdom we are aligned with. I want to suggest to you today that this celebration of Christ the King invites us to consider three things. First is transformation. You see God’s love is a powerful force, and we must allow the momentum of that force to transform us. And when we do that others experience our transformation through our willingness to be open to them.

18:31 - We are not transformed unless others experience through us God’s love, the love of the eternal King whose throne is the cross and whose kingdom welcomes before anyone else, the little ones, the Gospel speaks of, is the only love that can transform. And we’re invited into that love, to be changed by it, transformed by it, so that we in turn can transform the attitudes of our own time. The second thing that I want to suggest is that this feast of Christ the King invites us to consider how well we are living alternatively. You see, Christ the king invites us to the values of his kingdom. And when we do this we will be surrounded by or inserted amongst the stray, the marginalised, the poor, the little ones.

19:40 - The alternative living of the Gospel compels us to be horrified at things like the thieving of PPE funds from the poor in this country; to be horrified at gender-based violence. The very people who get the seats of honour in Christ the King’s kingdom are the ones that we often are willing to dispose of, the ones who often are those on the margins. Do we choose to insert ourselves among them? And finally the third invitation is to take stock. As our local and global church, we have come to the end of yet another Liturgical Year. And today’s Solemnity of Christ the King perhaps asks us to take stock by asking simply one question of ourselves: how have I shown love in the past difficult year? It leads us to prepare for the season of Advent when we see the fullness of God’s love revealed in the incarnation, but how have I showed love in the year that has past? On this last Sunday of the year, the image of Christ the King begs us to give our allegiance to what really matters, to the kingdom where there is no place for ambition or greed or status or power.

21:38 - Christ the King challenges us to be revolutionaries by making the world a more just and peaceful place. So the feast of Christ the King is not about the powerful church born with Constantine. Christ the King is about our hearts being revolutionised. And so we might ask ourselves today: are our hearts revolutionary enough to claim membership of His Kingdom, of the Kingdom of Christ the King? Let’s now together make a profession of faith, as we pray the Apostle’s Creed. I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

23:14 - I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. [Amen.] On this feast of Christ the Eternal King, let’s bring before our king our own needs in the form of our prayers that we present to the Lord. For all Christians: that we may grow in knowledge and love of Jesus who is the Christ, and seek to model our lives on Him alone. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For all the nations of the world: that all God’s children may be gathered into Christ’s Kingdom of peace, beauty and love. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For leaders in the Church and Society: that they would seek first and foremost to sacrifice and serve the people they govern, and that they would reject status, wealth and power. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.

] 24:37 - For all who suffer persecution in the cause of justice because of their allegiance to Christ: that they may know God’s strength and persevere, as they seek to bring about a more just and humane world. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For all of us who worship and pray together today, no matter where we are: that we would not be afraid to profess our loyalty to Christ before an indifferent and often hostile world. Lord, heard us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] For all who suffer physically, emotionally and psychologically: that they would come to experience and know the healing touch of Christ our King in their lives and be freed from all that assails them. Lord, hear us. [Lord, graciously hear us.] Lord our God, these are our prayers that we present to you through Christ Jesus, your Son, and our Eternal King. [Amen.] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have this bread to offer: fruit of the earth and work of our human hands, it will become for us the bread of life. [Blessed be God for ever.

] 26:52 - Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have this wine to offer: fruit of the vine and work of our human hands, it will become for us our spiritual drink. [Blessed be God for ever.] Let’s pray now, sisters and brothers, that our sacrifice and the sacrifice and efforts of all our lives, may be acceptable to God the almighty Creator. [May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God’s holy Church.] As we offer you, O Lord, the sacrifice by which the human race is reconciled to you, we humbly pray that your Son himself may bestow on all nations the gifts of unity and peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. [Amen] The Lord be with you [And with your spirit.] Lift up your hearts. [We lift them up to the Lord.] Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. [It is right and just.

] 28:02 - It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For you anointed your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness as eternal Priest and King of all creation, so that, by offering himself on the altar of the Cross as a spotless sacrifice to bring us peace, he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemption and, making all created things subject to his rule, he might present to the immensity of your majesty an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy [Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.] You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.

29:26 - Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and He gave it to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU. In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR ALL FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. The mystery of faith. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again. Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.

31:16 - Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Francis our Pope, Buti our Bishop and Duncan his assistant, and all the clergy and all who minister to your people. Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with St Joseph, her Spouse, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever. [Amen.

] 32:44 - It was the Lord Jesus our Universal King, who taught us to call God, Our Father, and so we have the courage to pray: Our Father, [who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.] Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, and graciously grant peace in our days. That by the help of your mercy, may we be always free from sin and from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. [For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.

] 33:35 - Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign for ever and ever. [Amen.] The peace of the Lord be with you always. [And with your spirit.] Let’s spend a moment now praying for peace in our own hearts, in our families, in our country and in our world. Lamb of God, [you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.] My sisters, my brothers, Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, Christ our King, the one who takes away the sin of the world. How blessed are we who are called to share in this supper of the Lamb. [Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.] May the Body and Blood of Christ bring all of us, our family, our friends, and all people, to life everlasting. [Amen.

] 35:29 - Although you cannot receive physical communion with us now, we invite you into a moment of spiritual communion. The great medieval theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, defined spiritual communion as: “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy Sacrament”, and “a loving embrace as though we had already received him.” His words are echoed by the great mystic, and fellow doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote: “When you do not receive Communion, and do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion which is a most beneficial practice. By it, the love of God will be greatly impressed on you.

” 36:15 - At this moment we invite you to focus on Christ, and your longing for union with him. Express your desire to feel his grace coursing through you, giving you strength and courage, particularly in these difficult times. In your desiring union you are united with us, and to Christ. In this moment we experience the reality that is already here. Let us pray: Having received the food of immortality, we ask, O Lord, that, glorying in obedience to the commands of Christ, the King of the universe, we may live with him eternally in his heavenly Kingdom. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. [Amen.] Just a word before the final blessing.

38:41 - Many people are asking about the continuation of these masses. We will continue to broadcast these masses until the lockdown comes to an end. So we will continue for Advent and for Christmas. We of course encourage you, if you can, to go back to your parish. Many parishes have now opened up, they have limited numbers, but if you can, go back to your worshipping community. If you can’t then we make these masses available for you. I’d also like to thank you for your contributions, for the messages that we get, the emails that we receive, and your financial contributions which help us to continue this ministry. We are really grateful to you. So as we celebrate the end of this liturgical year, on this feast of Christ the King, I wish you a very blessed day. The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit.] May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. [Amen.] Go now in the peace of Christ. [Thanks be to God.] .