Christ the King. Year C, 23.11.2025

2 Samuel 5:1-3 / Colossians 1:11-20 / Luke 23:35-43  

The need for attention is a need of every person. 

Every person needs attention for various reasons. 

Basically, we will call for attention because of some need. 

For example, when we are in a restaurant and we are ready to order our food, we will call for the attention of the waiter. 

For babies, when they are in need, whether they are hungry or the diapers need to be changed, they will cry out for attention. 

Even a seemingly ordinary action like pressing the bell in the bus, calls for the attention of the bus captain to let him know that we need to alight at the next bus stop. 

So, everyone calls out for attention because of a need. 

Children will try to get the attention of their parents by doing something or saying something because they need to know that their parents care for them. 

Workers will try to get the attention of their boss or superiors by being impressive in every possible way for job security and stability.

And in the competition for love, boy will try to impress the girl and get her attention, or it can also be the other way around. 

Whatever it is, the reality is that as human beings, we need the attention from others. 

We need attention to impress others and to prove ourselves. 

On the higher and noble levels of life, we call for attention to direct others to safety or away from danger, or to make an important announcement. 

Today, as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, the gospel passage brings us back to the scene of the crucifixion. 

We may wonder, why is it that on such a grand and joyous feast, the gospel passage is about pain, suffering and death. 

The gospel passage states that fact. 

But not all facts tell the truth. 

The people stood there, but they were looking at Jesus as if they were watching a spectacle, and no response were required from them. 

The leaders jeered at Jesus saying, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God.”

The soldiers also mocked Jesus as they said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 

And above Jesus there was an inscription: This is the King of the Jews. 

Even one of the condemned criminals hanging there abused Jesus saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself, and us as well.” 

Those were the facts at the scene of the crucifixion. 

But the irony is that those facts point to the truth, a rather mysterious truth. 

Because, all that was said by the leaders, by the soldiers, by that condemned criminal, all that pointed to the truth. 

And that truth was stated silently but profoundly in that inscription: This is the King of the Jews. 

And the King of the Jews didn’t need to prove Himself, or call for the people’s attention to acknowledge Him as the king.

By the fact that Jesus was on the Cross, He was already above the rest and they were looking up at Him. 

At the foot of the Cross, there was so much noise – the noise of jeering, insulting and mocking. 

All were trying to call attention to themselves by trying to put down Jesus.

There was so much of jeering and mocking, but only one person was praying. 

And his prayer is simply this: Jesus, remember Me when you come into your Kingdom.” 

And that simple and humble prayer brought out the divine promise of salvation. 

Although nailed to the Cross, Jesus made this divine promise: Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise. 

That is the promise of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

It is the promise made to that repentant criminal, and it is a promise made to all of us who believe in Jesus as our Lord and our King. 

That promise is renewed whenever we pray the prayer that is on the prayer card, which is also our parish prayer. 

That promise is renewed when we write our prayers and petitions in the petition forms, as we put our trust in Jesus, our Lord and our King. 

As we call out to Jesus, He turns His attention to each of us, and He says: Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with Me, because I love you, and I want you to be with Me forever. 

That is the promise of Jesus to us, and let us believe in that promise. 

Because it is the truth and the promise made by Jesus Christ, our Lord and our King.    

33rd Sunday, OT, Year C, 16.11.2025

Malachi 3:19-20 / 2 Thess 3:7-12 / Luke 21:5-19

In almost every kind of sport, strength and stamina are required. 

Strength and stamina can only be achieved in one way, and that is by pushing the body, and the mind, when tiredness and fatigue set in. 

Strength and stamina cannot be developed if we were to stop the moment we feel tired. 

Of course, we need to stop when we feel exhausted, otherwise we might injure the body. 

So, strength and stamina can be built and developed progressively and gradually. 

In a way, it is like boiling water. The fire isn’t turned off just when the water is getting warm. 

The fire is kept burning as the water gets warmer and warmer until the water reaches boiling point. 

So it is with strength and stamina. We keep going when we are tired in order to increase strength and stamina, but at the same time being careful not to over-exert. 

But all this requires time, because nothing happens quickly or instantly. 

In fact, nature teaches us that growth and development requires time. 

And nature also teaches us that growth and development comes about through challenges and difficulties. 

Listening to the gospel passage can be rather challenging, difficult and even disturbing. 

At first, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, which was the most holy place for the People of God. 

Then, He talks about the chaos of war and calamities. 

And then, He talks about violence and persecution, but He also assures His protection to those who are faithful to Him. 

And finally, Jesus urges us to have endurance so as to overcome the turmoil and tribulation. 

But what Jesus said about the destruction of the Temple will leave a graphic image in our minds: Not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed. 

The Temple was like a fortified city with high and thick walls. To breach a fortified city, the walls must first be broken through and then the destruction will begin. 

The walls of the Temple brings to mind the tale of two walls. 

The first is the walls of Jericho, the first city that blocked the Israelites when they entered into the Promised Land. 

The fortified walls of Jericho were high and mighty, almost impossible to breach and break-through. 

The Israelites turned to God for help, and they were told to march around the city for seven days. 

Then on the seventh day, they were to blow trumpets and horns and God will make the way. 

As much as it sounded nothing like a battle plan, the people obeyed. 

And on the 7th day when the trumpets and horns were sounded, the mighty walls of Jericho simply crumbled and the city of Jericho was taken. 

So, it can be said that the walls of Jericho fell by faith and not by force. 

Marching on in faith and prayer requires endurance, but that will bring about the awesome power of God.

That is the first of the tale of the two walls.

The second is the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall, which is a surviving remnant of the Temple of Jerusalem, that was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

A Jewish legend has it that when the Temple was being built, the work was divided among different sectors of the population. 

The building of the Western Wall fell to the poor, and they worked hard to construct it, as they could not afford to hire labourers to do their work for them.

When the enemy destroyed the Temple, the angels descended from on high and spread their wings over the Wall, because God said: "This Wall, the work of the poor, shall never be destroyed."

The tale of these two walls tells us this. In the case of the walls of Jericho, it was by the simple act of faith and not by might of force that brought down the walls of Jericho. 

As for the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, it can be said that the simple and humble prayer of the poor will endure. 

In life, there will be chaos, but with faith in God, out of chaos will come forth creation. 

In life, there will be tribulation, but every tribulation has a revelation. 

That revelation for us is that endurance will prevail over the chaos and turmoil. 

The walls of pride and might will be broken down. 

But the simple and humble prayer of those who endure in their faith in God will go up to heaven and bring forth God’s salvation.

Dedication of Lateran Basilica, 09.11.2025

 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 / 1 Cor 3:9-11, 16-17 / John 2:13-22

Today, the Church celebrates the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 

Officially it is called the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, and it is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. 

It is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, and so it is the official Church of the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome. 

Built in the year 324AD, it is the oldest church in the West, and it is considered the mother and the head of all the churches of Rome and of the world. 

In celebrating the dedication, we also celebrate the deep spiritual aspects of our faith. 

We celebrate unity, that we belong to the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

We believe that through the Church, God is offering the world the gift of forgiveness and salvation. 

We also profess that the Church is human and divine. 

We are the living members of the Church, the Body of Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. 

In the gospel, Jesus drove out all those merchants and money changers and said: Take all these out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market. 

When the people challenged Him to justify what He did, Jesus said: Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up. 

The people didn’t understand that Jesus was referring to the sanctuary that is His Body. 

So, the Church, the living Body of Christ, is holy, and the Church building is also holy.

The Church is the House of God, and a House of prayer. 

So, the building is sacred and it stands on holy ground. 

In this sacred building, worship is offered, prayer is heard and answered, and God’s love flows like the healing waters described in the 1st reading. 

The Church, the House of God, is like the Temple described in the 1st reading, where the waters of God’s healing love flow into the hearts of all believers. 

It is the waters of God’s love that brings about life, that brings about healing and forgiveness, that makes us bear fruits of love for others and for the glory of God. 

The celebration of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica also reminds us that we all have a spiritual home. 

So, the Church is the House of God, as well as our spiritual home, and we have come home to be with God. 

So, if Pope Leo XIV is asked where is his spiritual home, he will say that it is the Lateran Basilica. 

And if we were asked where is our spiritual home, we will say that it is the Church of Christ the King. 

Yes, here we are at home with our King and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Here at home, we receive blessings from Jesus, we receive forgiveness for our sins, we are healed and strengthened with Holy Communion. 

Here at home, in the House of God, we offer worship and prayer, and we believe that our prayers will be heard and answered. 

And we go forth from the House of God with the mission of calling others to come back home. 

No matter how far they have gone, no matter what they have done wrong, no matter how angry or disappointed they are with the Church, God is calling them to come back home and to talk to God. 

And we are to be the voice of God to call them home. 

The feast of Christ the King will be in two weeks’ time. 

Before that, there will be a triduum, the three days of prayer in preparation for the feast day. 

Let us take some prayer cards and petition forms and ask others to come to the triduum to offer up their prayers to God. 

Everyone, whether young or old, everyone has a need, everyone has a prayer, and everyone needs to come home and to know that their prayers are heard. 

Let these prayer cards and petition forms be like God’s invitation. 

Regardless of how near or how far we are from God, let us come home to the House of God.

Let us come home and receive love, forgiveness, healing, and to let God make His home in our hearts.

All Souls 02.05.2025

 Isaiah 25:6-9 / Romans 5:5-11 / John 7:11-17

There are two important days in our life. 

One is, of course, our birthday, the day that we came into this world. 

That day appears in all our personal documents, and we also celebrate that day in various ways. 

The other day that is important is the day that we leave this world. 

For all of us here, we do not know when that day will be. 

And because we don’t know when that day will be, it leaves us rather curious and also anxious. 

Today we remember and we also pray for the faithful departed. 

We also remember especially our departed loved ones, and we pray that they will rest in peace. 

When we visit them at the cemetery or in the columbium, we see the date of their birth, as well as the date that they left this world. 

Between those two dates, they were with us, and they have left fond and warm memories in our hearts. 

We remember what they said to us, what they did for us, how they have loved us, and how they have helped us become better persons. 

Yes, on this day, we remember our departed loved ones and we pray for them. 

And on this day, our faith also leads us to think about the other world. 

Those who have died have left us and left this world. 

They have passed on from this world to the next world, or, to the other world. 

For them, life is changed, not ended. 

For them, life is changed and changed forever because they have gone back to the Lord. 

And God has prepared for them an eternal home so that they can rest eternally in His presence. 

The 1st reading gives this image of a mountain where the Lord has prepared a banquet of rich food. 

The departed have gone up to that mountain of the Lord, where He will wipe away the tears from every cheek. 

So, we believe that the departed have gone back home to be with God forever. 

It is with this belief that we remember our departed loved ones with love. 

Our faith and our hope tells us that God has prepared a place for each of us in our eternal home. 

So, although we do not know when will be the day that we will have to leave this world, let us not be too curious or be too anxious about it. 

When that day comes for us to leave this world, let us believe that we will pass on from this world to the next world, where God is waiting for us. 

As for the departed, we remember them and we also miss them, and we will also grieve as we mourn for them. 

The deeper the relationship we had with them, the deeper will be the grief and with tears. 

But the Lord Jesus will console us just as He consoled the widow who lost her son. 

The departed will not come back to life in this world. 

But the goodness of their lives will continue in our lives as we remember them. 

And our hope is that we will meet them again in the homeland in heaven.

In that heavenly homeland, we will see the God in whom we hoped for salvation. 

Yes, we will be reunited with our departed loved ones, and we will exalt and rejoice in God who saves us. 

That is our faith, that is our hope, as we remember and pray for the departed on this All Souls Day.