Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection November 23, 2025

1. In the first reading, Israel comes to David at Hebron and declares, “We are your bone and your flesh.” They recall how he shepherded them and led them in battle. Then they anoint him king over all Israel. David is the visible, historical king, but only as a sign. His kingship points beyond itself to Another who will be the true Shepherd-King, not only of Israel but of all creation.

2. This “Another” is depicted in all splendour in the second reading. St Paul in Colossians shows us Christ as the “image of the invisible God”, “firstborn of all creation”, through whom and for whom all things were created. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church. This is kingship in its highest and fullest sense: cosmic, eternal, universal.

3. But, strikingly, today’s gospel shows this King not in majesty but in misery, not in royal courts but on a criminal’s cross. The rulers sneer at Him, the soldiers mock Him, one criminal reviles Him. Above His head there is a sign, “This is the King of the Jews”, meant as ridicule but in fact the deepest truth. The King of the universe is exposed, humiliated, apparently powerless.

4. Here lies the paradox of Christ’s kingship: He is at once the glorious “image of the invisible God” and the disfigured “man of sorrows” on Golgotha. He is both the one “in whom all things hold together” and the one whose body is nailed and torn apart. He is the head of the Church, yet crowned with thorns. His sovereignty is exercised not by crushing others but by allowing Himself to be crushed for their sake.

5. The world admires kings who save themselves, protect their position, and display their power. That is why the taunts around the Cross sound so familiar: “He saved others; let him save himself!” “If you are the King, save yourself!” This is the logic of the world: power proves itself by self-preservation. But Jesus reveals a different logic: power proves itself by self-donation. He will not come down from the Cross because His real kingship is precisely to stay on it.

6. Side by side with Him hang two criminals, both equally near in distance, but far apart in attitude. One joins the chorus of mockery: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” He wants a king who serves his convenience, removes his pain, and performs miracles on demand. The other, traditionally called the “good thief”, turns inward, acknowledges his guilt, recognises Jesus’ innocence, and then turns to Him in humble trust: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

7. This simple plea of the good thief is one of the most beautiful prayers in the whole Bible. He sees a king where others see a failure. He sees a kingdom where others see only defeat. He sees mercy where others see only misery. And he receives the royal promise: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” The first to enter the kingdom with the Crucified King is not a perfectly righteous man, but a confessed sinner who trusts.

8. Thus, the Cross becomes the true throne and the good thief becomes the model subject of this kingdom. This is the kind of king Christ is: He does not ask for achievements but for surrender; not for merits but for trust; not for perfect records but for open hearts. His sceptre is forgiveness, His law is mercy, His territory is the human heart, and His victory is reconciliation.

9. Colossians tells us that the Father “has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. This kingdom is already at work wherever sin is confessed and forgiven, wherever hatred is overcome by love, wherever despair is healed by hope, and wherever self-centred lives are turned into self-giving service.

10. But this kingship also has practical consequences. If Christ is truly our King, then His style must become ours. Power must give way to service, prestige to humility, success to fidelity, possession to sharing. Many want Christ as a spiritual protector but not as a concrete ruler of their choices, relationships, money, time, and priorities. They want a “decorative king”, not a decisive Lord.

11. To say “Christ is King” is not merely to sing a hymn or celebrate a feast. It is to let Him reign over our thoughts and attitudes, over our words and actions, over our families and communities. It is to bring to Him our resentments, our addictions, our injustices, and allow His mercy to break their hold. It is to move from the mocking thief who demands, “Save yourself and us”, to the humble thief who prays, “Remember me”.

12. We must ask ourselves: Where do I stand in relation to this King? Do I follow the crowd that derides Him whenever His Gospel contradicts my comfort? Do I remain neutral and distant, watching from afar? Or do I, like David’s people, acknowledge Him as my true shepherd, and like the good thief, entrust my broken life into His wounded hands? Is Christ only a name on my lips, or is He really the centre that “holds all things together” in my life?

Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection November 23, 2025

Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection November 23, 2025