Reflection on Today’s Gospel: Solemnity of Christ The King

The King who wears an eternal crown of glory, went so low as to wear a crown of thorns! And in today’s Gospel (Mt 25:31-46) on the Feast of Christ the King, Jesus not only invites us to do the same, He DEMANDS that we do the same so that we can be rewarded with a heavenly crown, too, someday when our time comes. How? Just like what Jesus did, we need get low, reach out and take care of “the lost, the last, and the least” of our brothers and sisters.

Actually, in reality, this is just all too difficult to do (everything that God commands in the Bible and through His Church is hard to do lol). Even when I read about the examples of the saints who gave their lives to the poor like St. Mother Teresa, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Blessed Pier Frassati, among the many others that I know I should model my life after; and even when everywhere in the Bible, from the Old to the New Testament, we are admonished to help the poorest of our brethren, it’s still hard to do. I would always find myself justifying not helping them because they’d just get under your skin. Like:

– When you’re in the car then someone dirty-looking sticks their face on your window asking for money, then when you gave to that one person, a whole bunch of other dirty people would follow;

– Or when Sampaguita vendors would hound you to buy their flowers even inside the church while the Mass is still ongoing;

– Or when beggars just come after you outside the church, resto, or whatever establishment you’re coming from;

– And let’s not forget those “parking attendants” who would just appear out of nowhere when you’re exiting a parking spot, thinking they’re helping you when in fact they’re just all the more confusing you while you’re driving in reverse;

– ETC.

They’re just everywhere and it’s really annoying sometimes. And what’s worse is when they show you an “attitude” lol. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. But then I’m reminded of the advice of a priest in one my confessions in the past, “You must see the faces of Jesus and Mary in every person you meet most especially in those you find difficult to love, those that annoy you.” I thought deeply about that advice I realized that my goosshhh…it’s true…It shouldn’t be hard to imagine the faces of Jesus and Mary in these people because they, too, became beggars themselves!!! When King Jesus was still in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she and Joseph begged people to let them stay in their homes but no one accepted them! Imagine that, the 3 most important persons to ever set foot on this planet–Jesus, Mary, and Joseph–were not only poor, worse, they were beggars! Indeed, it’s easy to picture out that what we do to these least brethren of ours is what we do to them! So whenever I would encounter such people, I would always seriously aim to see Jesus and Mary in them (and since I’m Catholic this is easy as we have a lot portrayed images of them haha). Holding onto this thought makes following God’s command of helping the poor and needy I encounter with easier. Or if I couldn’t help them materially, at least show them kindness in another way.

But then again, I know I got to do more. We got to do more for them…