10 hours ago4 min read

The judge is coming.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and it marks the beginning of the final week of Ordinary Time in the

Church. Next Sunday we begin the Season of Advent. I pray that this past year of Grace in the life of our Catholic Church has brought all of us closer in relationship with the merciful Heart of our Lord Jesus! It is truly right and just that we thank and praise Him each day for His exceeding goodness toward us! May we trust Him at all times to lead us on the path of holiness and onward toward Heaven!

Regarding today’s Solemnity of Christ the King, in Sacred Scripture

we can read the doctrinal basis for our celebration of our Lord’s

kingly authority: “Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a

slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,

He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a

cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on

Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus

every knee should bend, of those in Heaven and on earth and under

the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the

glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:7-11)

This weekend I share with you a sermon by St. Augustine of Hippo:

“Then all the trees of the forest will exult before the Face of the

Lord, for He has come, He has come to judge the earth.

He has come the first time, and He will come again. At His first

coming, His own voice declared in the Gospel: Hereafter you shall

see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds. What does He mean by

hereafter? Does He not mean that the Lord will come at a future

time when all the nations of the earth will be striking their breasts in

grief? Previously He came through His preachers, and He filled the

whole world. Let us not resist His first coming, so that we may not

dread the second.

What then should the Christian do? He ought to use the world, not

become its slave. And what does this mean? It means having, as

though not having. So says the Apostle: My brethren, the appointed

time is short: from now on let those who have wives live as though

they had none; and those who mourn as though they were not

mourning; and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing;

and those who buy as though they had no goods; and those who

deal with this world as though they had no dealings with it. For the

form of this world is passing away.

But I wish you to be without anxiety. He who is without anxiety

waits without fear until his Lord comes. For what sort of love of

Christ is it to fear His coming? Brothers, do we not have to blush

for shame? We love Him, yet we fear His coming. Are we really

certain that we love Him? Or do we love our sins more? Therefore

let us hate our sins and love Him who will exact punishment for

them. He will come whether we wish it or not. Do not think that

because He is not coming just now, He will not come at all. He will

come, you know not when; and provided He finds you prepared,

All the trees of the forest will exult. He has come the first time, and

He will come again to judge the earth; He will find those rejoicing

who believed in His first coming, for He has come.

He will judge the world with equity and the peoples in His

Truth. What are equity and Truth? He will gather together with

Him for the judgement His chosen ones, but the others He will set

apart; for He will place some on His right, others on His left. What

is more equitable, what more true than that they should not themselves

expect mercy from the Judge, who themselves were unwilling

to show mercy before the Judge’s coming.

Those, however, who were willing to show mercy will be judged

with mercy. For it will be said to those placed on His right: Come,

blessed of My Father, take possession of the Kingdom which has

been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. And He

reckons to their account their works of mercy: For I was hungry

and you gave Me food to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink.

What is imputed to those placed on His left side? That they refused

to show mercy. And where will they go? Depart into the everlasting

fire. The hearing of this condemnation will cause much wailing.

But what has another psalm said? The just man will be held in everlasting

remembrance; he will not fear the evil report. What is the evil report? Depart into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels. Whoever

rejoices to hear the good report will not fear the bad. This is

equity, this is Truth.

Or do you, because you are unjust, expect the Judge not to be just?

Or because you are a liar, will the Truthful One not be True? Rather,

if you wish to receive mercy, be merciful before He comes;

forgive whatever has been done against you; give of your abundance.

Of whose possessions do you give, if not from His? If you

were to give of your own, it would be largess; but since you give of

His, it is restitution. For what do you have, that you have not received?

These are the sacrifices most pleasing to God: mercy, humility,

praise, peace, Charity. Such as these, then, let us bring and, free

from fear, we shall await the coming of the Judge who will judge