Sunday Lectionary: Of Sheep and Kings

Feast of Christ the King: November 20th, 2011

In this last week before Advent, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. In the First Reading, through the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord describes Himself as a shepherd who will gather together his sheep. The Lord ends by saying that He will judge the flock and this theme of judgement is picked up in the Gospel Reading where Jesus contrasts the “sheep and the goats”, those who loved Him through loving the afflicted and those who did not.

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Sunday Lectionary: Ready & Wise

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: November 6, 2011

The Readings this week focus around the concepts of wisdom and watchfulness.

In the First Reading we hear “Lady Wisdom” extolled and praised. In the Second Reading St. Paul talks about the Second Coming of Christ. Finally, in the Gospel Reading Jesus combines both of these subjects and tells a parable in which he compares two different types of people: the wise who prepare for His coming and the foolish who do not. The lesson is clear: Be wise – Be Ready

“Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works…make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out…renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of his love and bring you into his banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished” –St. Augustine

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