The ultimate aim of man is to be one day with Jesus Christ, the source of life and who gives eternal life. He is the incarnation of the love of God comes into flesh: I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10) Advent is that renewed preparation and desire to meet Jesus worthily when He comes. The Collect (Opening prayer) this Sunday captures this desire: Grant your faithful, we pray, Almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds and His coming, so that gather at His right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the King of the universe. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all part of His Kingdom, thus must remain loyal and faithful to Him. For if we truly belong to Him, we should know His truth and listen to His voice. Today, we hear so many voices in our journey of life, and sad to say, often we allow the noise of the world to drown the voice of the Good Shepherd, Christ the King. He is the King of the Universe; if we listen attentively to His voice, He wants to share His victory to all who have FAITH in Him. His Kingdom is of TRUTH and LOVE.

The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. As we approach this solemnity, the readings reflect the end time. The Gospel of Mark tells us today that the end will come, and only God the Father knows when it will happen. “The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” When it comes, the Catechism tells us: “At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the Just will reign with Christ forever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself will be transformed. God will then be all in all (1Cor. 15:28), in eternal life.” (CCC 1060)

Today, the Church teaches us about the importance of sacrifice. The highest form in salvation history is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. “But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.” The Lord sacrifice His life as an offering for the sins of humanity. His death is the ultimate sacrifice; His resurrection opened the way for us to receive the gift of eternal life. Eternal life for us is this: That we believe in the one true God, and His only Son, Jesus Christ inviting us to share in the mission by offering our lives to Him and with Him. The first reading and the Gospel give us an example of this kind of sacrificial offering.