Allocution Sunday, November 21, 2021

We celebrate today, Sunday, November 21, the Solemnity of Christ the King.

We read the gospel of Saint John, chapter 18, verses 18 to 37.

(GOSPEL)

Pilate asks: Are you the King of the Jews? It was very difficult for him to understand that a king had been born in a cave in a marginal town, Bethlehem; who had lived in Nazareth, a town about which many wondered: Can anything good come from here? That he would walk with fishermen and sinners and make them his disciples; that he sat next to women of bad life and ate with different sinners; and that he had ridden on a donkey and didn’t have a penny; and that now, before him, he was accused by the Jews, and even less did he understand that the King ended up crucified.

Although he did not understand, he put a sign on the cross that we have all seen: INRI and the text was written in Latin, Hebrew and Greek. INRI are four initials of the words: Jesus, Nazarene, King of the Jews. The sign in Latin was understood by the Roman soldiers, in Hebrew by those who lived in Palestine, and in Greek, which at that time was the universal language, by all the foreigners who were in Jerusalem.

Pilate did not understand the truth of Christ’s reign, but he became the first missionary through the sign that announced Christ the King, in Jerusalem, Rome and the then known world.

It is clear to everyone that the reign of Christ is not one of military or economic power. His Kingdom is the truth.

His Kingdom is present in true spouses who keep the promises of courtship 5, 10, 25, 50, 75 years.

His Kingdom is present in true fathers who never abandon their children.

His Kingdom is present in the true pregnant mother who loves and defends the blessed fruit she carries within.

His Kingdom is present in the true sons and daughters who make their old, sick, bedridden parents happy.

His Kingdom is present in the neighbors who help the sick, those who cry and are true brothers in sorrow and pain.

If we are true fathers, mothers, grandparents, brothers, family members, Christians, friends, and we live what we are, the Kingdom of Christ is within us.

Family Synod at Sunday Lunch: What has been the most wonderful moment of love in our family in which Christ has been our King? I would like to know to thank God.

(SINGING)

The King crucified with hammer blows had today’s hammer blows in mind.

• A father abandons the mother of his children and them too.
• A pregnant woman allows the life of her blessed fruit to end.
• A brother fights with his brother.
• Two brothers haven’t spoken for years.
• An alcoholic makes his mother suffer.
• A child does not appreciate or value everything his parents have taught him.
• Daughter-in-law and mother-in-law make each other’s family life unbearable.
• We have not offered masses for our dead nor have we preserved the heritage of faith and charity that they bequeathed to us.

The crucified man does not want more hammer blows.

(SINGING)

The Pope tells us about Saint Joseph:

“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning. On December 8, 1870, Blessed Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph patron of the universal Church. Now, 150 years after that event, we are living a special year dedicated to Saint Joseph, and in the apostolic letter Patris Corde I have collected some reflections on his figure. Never before like today in this time marked by a global crisis, with different components, can it serve as support, consolation and guidance. That is why I have decided to dedicate a series of catechesis to him, which I hope will help us to be enlightened by his example and his testimony. For a few weeks we will talk about San José.

In the Bible there are more than ten characters who bear the name Joseph. The most important of them is the son of Jacob and Rachel, who, through various adventures, went from being a slave to becoming the second most important person in Egypt after the Pharaoh. The name Joseph in Hebrew means ‘may God increase’. May God make it grow. It is a wish, a blessing founded on trust in providence and referring especially to the fertility and growth of children. In fact, precisely this name reveals to us an essential aspect of the personality of Joseph of Nazareth. He is a man full of faith in his providence; believes in the providence of God, has faith in the providence of God. Each of his actions, as recounted in the gospel, is dictated by the certainty that God ‘makes increase’, ‘that God increases’, ‘that God adds’. That is, God arranges the continuation of his plan of salvation. And in this Joseph of Nazareth is very similar to Joseph of Egypt.

Also the main geographical references that refer to Joseph: Bethlehem and Nazareth, assume an important role in the understanding of his figure.

In the Old Testament, the city of Bethlehem is called by the name of Beth Lehem, that is, ‘House of Bread’, or also Ephrathah, after the tribe that settled there. In Arabic, however, the name means ‘House of Meat’, probably due to the large number of flocks of sheep and goats present in the area. In fact, it is no coincidence that, when Jesus was born, the shepherds were the first witnesses of the event. In light of the story of Jesus, these allusions to bread and meat refer to the mystery of the Eucharist: Jesus is the living bread come down from heaven. He himself will say of himself: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.'”

(SINGING)

 

“That is why the choice of Bethlehem and Nazareth tells us that the periphery and marginality are God’s favorite. Jesus is not born in Jerusalem with everything at court… no: he was born in a suburb and spent his life, until he was 30, in that suburb working as a carpenter, like Joseph. For Jesus, the peripheries and marginalities are favorites. Not taking this reality seriously is equivalent to not taking seriously the Gospel and the work of God, which continues to manifest itself in the geographical and existential peripheries. The Lord always acts secretly in the peripheries, also in our soul, in the peripheries of the soul, of the feelings, perhaps feelings of which we are ashamed; but the Lord is there to help us move forward. The Lord continues to manifest himself in the peripheries, both geographically and existentially. In particular, Jesus goes in search of sinners, enters their homes, speaks to them, calls them to conversion. And he is also rebuked for it: ‘But look at this Teacher – say the doctors of the law – look at this Teacher; He eats with sinners, he gets dirty, he goes to look for those who have not done evil, but have suffered it: the sick, the hungry, the poor, the last. Jesus always goes to the peripheries. And this should give us a lot of confidence, because the Lord knows the peripheries of our heart, the peripheries of our soul, the peripheries of our society, of our city, of our family, that is, that somewhat healing part that we do not let see, maybe out of shame.”

 

(SINGING)

“Today I would like to send a message to all the men and women who live in the most forgotten geographical peripheries of the world or who live in situations of existential marginality. May they find in San José the witness and protector to look to. We can address him with this prayer, a ‘homemade’ prayer but that has come from the heart:

Saint Joseph,

you who have always trusted in God,

and you have made your decisions

guided by his providence,

teach us not to count so much in our projects

but in his plan of love.

You who come from the peripheries,

help us convert our gaze

and to prefer what the world discards and puts on the margins.

Comfort those who feel alone

and supports those who insist in silence

for defending life and human dignity.

Amen.

 

(SINGING)

We place our entire family in God’s hands and pray together the prayer that Jesus Christ taught us, the Lord’s Prayer:

 

(Pray the Lord’s Prayer)

We ask the Virgin of Charity to carry all our sick, fill them with the peace of God, console them… and we pray:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. We join Christ the King in spiritual communion.

 

(SINGING)

 

May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, descend upon you all and remain forever. Amen. Tell everyone what you have heard… You can go in peace.