Today we say goodbye to St Matthew, and the prayer written into his Gospel, that Heaven and Earth will be One. It has been wonderful to be in his company and ponder what he means by this. And today, the last day of the year, he put it in a nutshell, in the Gospel of the Final Surprise.
The passage chosen for the Feast of Christ the King makes it clear that He is not to be found in a palace. In fact, when Pilate asked Him if He was a king, He said, " Yes, I am a King, for this was I born, for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. And all who are on the side of Truth listen to my voice". Today, we see how He breaks the word Truth open and shows us what's inside. There is an old joke that says there are only two types of people; those who divide people into two types and those who don't! Notice that there will be a great division on judgement day which comes as a huge surprise to everyone there. It's all about making sure we're not on the left. Seriously! Make sure you're not on the left! Type 1: The Goat: It is true that there are many people who do good things. But what is moving them is their need for territory, their need to have their egos massaged, and their need to have people adore them, bow down to them, praise them and pay them back for what they have done. Their 'God' is their own greatness, and they like to move among the alleged high and mighty increasing the myth of their own status. So, when God comes to them, disguised in the robes of the poor, (and there is no other way) they have no interest in or time for Him. I imagine them saying, "if only we had known it was You, Your Majesty". Type 2: The Sheep: It is true that there are those who pray their way into a love that is devoid of calculation. A love whose source And summit is the Holy Spirit. And I imagine that if we could interview those sheep on the right as they lounge around in their heavenly place. If we could ask them how they managed to find themselves such great digs, we might hear them say, "We just tenderly cared for every person we met, at once, without calculation and it wasn't a big deal"
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February 2019
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CATHOLIC PARISH OF ST JOSEPH & ST MARGARET CLITHEROW
St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1BE (Directions)
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
South Berkshire Pastoral Area
The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust registered charity 246871
St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1BE (Directions)
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
South Berkshire Pastoral Area
The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust registered charity 246871