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November 20thThe Return of the King
This Sunday we commemorate the end of the Liturgical Year. This Sunday is specially named the Sunday of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. We come to the end of our year's journey as Christ's pilgrim Church and begin another, as next Sunday we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent and the period of waiting for the birth of the Christ Child. Our readings today and throughout this week are pointing to another kind of watchful waiting, that of the return of the Glorified Christ and the ushering in of the fulfillment of His Kingdom. This will happen in history, and it happens to each of us, individually, in our own time, as we meet Christ in our heart of hearts and experience His liberation, His questioning of us ("Do you love me?") and the challenge of His Call to "follow Me." This feast of Christ's Kingship is a good time to renew our dedication to Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Below is a prayer of dedication & consecration to Jesus by St. Ignatius of Loyola: "Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All that I have and cherish you have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by Your will. Your love and Your grace are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more. Amen." |