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Today’s Word: 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe) – November 23, 2025

2 Samuel 5:1-3

Psalms 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

Colossians 1:12-20

Luke 23:35-43

The readings for November 23, 2025, in the Catholic Church celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This also is the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are quickly approaching the new liturgical year with Advent just a week away and Christmas soon following. It will soon be a time of reflection and preparing ourselves for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. The readings this week focus on Christ’s kingship as manifested through his death on the cross. The readings emphasize that Jesus’ kingship is one of service and salvation, not earthly power, and that his rule is established through his sacrifice, his love, and his ultimate victory over death on the cross.

The First Reading from the Second Book of Samuel talks about David’s anointing as King from the tribes of Israel at Hebron. They believe David will shepherd the people because the Lord said, “‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” (2 Samuel 5:2, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). It appears this reading foreshadows Jesus’ kingship, who is the true shepherd and king of his people.

In the New Testament Reading, St. Paul describes Christ as the image of the invisible God and through him all things were created. Paul writes, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colosssians 1:17-18, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). This powerful passage establishes Christ’s universal authority as the creator and sustainer of all things, both seen and unseen. It emphasizes that all creation is directed towards him, and his reign is ultimate and complete, because in him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:14, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).

The Gospel from Luke today tells a little of the time of when Jesus was hanging on the cross. I will get to more of that in a moment. But first a quick look at the Psalm for today. As most of the Psalms are songs of praise and worship, giving glory to God. This Psalm is one that depicts the people, Israel, to go “to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition), and offer praise and to “give thanks to the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 122: 4, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). The Psalm seems to connect the Old Testament Reading from Samuel to the New Testament Readings, from David, a strong and wise king who was shepherd to the people of Israel, to Jesus, who is Shepherd and King to all people.

While Jesus was on the cross, he was ridiculed by the rulers and soldiers. However, Jeses receives a repentant confession from one of the criminals, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power,” and Jesus responds, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition). This moment, I believe, is a poignant and pivotal moment where Christ’s kingship is most clearly revealed in its suffering and salvific nature. He is not a king of worldly power, but a king who saves others from the cross, and he welcomes a repentant sinner into his kingdom at the very moment of his death. I feel the reading asks us to consider our own response to Christ the King: Do we mock him or acknowledge him in our time of need?

We must ask ourselves that question. And the answer should be that we acknowledge Jesus as Christ the King, the Savior. He is our Redeemer. Just as the Psalm shows his people offering him praise, so shall we do likewise.

So, as I will leave you with this scripture, “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” (Psalm 63:1, 4, The Great Adventure Bible – RSV – 2nd Catholic Edition).

Stay strong with your faith and try to persevere through all hardships. And always…ALWAYS…give thanks to God!

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Today’s Word: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 12, 2025

2 Kings 5:14-17

Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Luke 17:11-19

The readings for today, this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, bring to us stories that emphasize the themes of faith, gratitude, and healing for all people. I believe we can really see these themes of gratitude and praise with the Psalm and Gospel readings today.

So today I will start with the Psalm. As I mentioned before, most of the psalms are hymns of praise. The Psalm begins with “O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” (Psalm 98:1, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). This reminds us to sing joyfully to the Lord always – to give glory and all praise to him because it is the Lord Jesus who died and offered himself on the cross for everyone. It is through him we receive the glory of God, and therefore we should rightly honor and praise God through Jesus. The passage today ends with the encouragement of all people to come together to praise as it says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” (Psalm 98:4, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). 

In the first reading today, the story is about Naaman, a Syrian general with leprosy who is cleansed after washing seven times in the Jordan River, following the instructions of the prophet Elisha. Naaman is a Gentile, where his healing signifies how God’s saving power transcends Israel. As we see in the reading, when Naaman is cured of his leprosy it causes a conversion in him and proves, to him, there is no other god than the God of Israel, leading him to abandon his false gods and worship the true God. It is interesting to note, Naaman was cleansed in the Jordan River. The same river where Jesus received his baptism from John the Baptist. It seems it becomes the source of extraordinary grace through faith.

In a way, the psalm echoes the first reading in that God’s saving grace extends to all people and is for all people. Those who believe and have the faith and trust in God may be granted through Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

The second reading today comes from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy. In this letter, Paul encourages Timothy to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel, reminding him that the Word of God cannot be chained. Paul wrote this letter while in prison and uses the chains he is bound in as a metaphor for God’s Word. Paul suffers and wears chains “like a criminal.” (2 Timothy 2:9, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). Paul says the Word of God is not chained, meaning it is not contained by human suffering or persecution. Paul suffers for the sake of others, just as Jesus suffered for mankind. Paul wishes others the ability to “obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus goes with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:10, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). Paul concludes this passage with “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13, The Great Adventure Bible – 2nd Catholic Edition). 

I want to look at the last couple of verses. Paul writes in Verses 12-13, “if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.” If we last and pass the tests of life, then we will surely be with him in heaven.

Trent Horn, Catholic Apologist, gave an example of the Prodigal Son on this topic. The father was so happy to see his son return that he embraced him and held a party for him. That is what it is like with us and our heavenly Father. We must not only repent our sins and run to the Father, but also run away from that sin which was in our life. Then we can be with Jesus and our heavenly Father.

The final line in the passage today may be difficult or confusing to some. I know it was for me the first few times I’ve read that verse. It seems it can have many interpretations. But looking into it, I found that the verse means God’s faithfulness is more of a matter of God’s own character (or Jesus’ character) and promises and is not a reflection of our own. He cannot be unfaithful to himself as we may sometimes feel in our life – faithless. If he were unfaithful to himself, then he would not be able to bring grace and forgiveness to us because those are his promises to us.

In the Gospel today, we continue with Luke. This passage tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers, with only the Samaritan returning to give thanks. The Samaritan, in this story, shows God’s concern for the poor and outcast. The lepers were already social outcasts, but the Samaritan returning to Jesus to offer praise and gratitude shows he received a greater gift. He was not only cleansed, but also grateful for that as well. Gratitude is a spiritual response that completes the healing process. The leper was cured physically, but also healed spiritually. Salvation is a holistic, transformative experience that restores one’s dignity and relationship with God. The other nine lepers, preoccupied with fulfilling the Law by showing themselves to the priests, fail to recognize Jesus as the source of their cure. Their lack of gratitude reveals a spiritual blindness that remains unhealed.  

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Today’s Word: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 31, 2025

Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

Psalms 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Today’s readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time focus on the virtue of humility. Key themes include the call to be humble, serve others, and invite the less fortunate to our gatherings, reflecting that the humble will be exalted and the proud will be humbled. 

The passage from the Book of Sirach opens with “My son, perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.” (Sirach 3:17, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). This should  encourage us to conduct our affairs with humility, emphasizing that humility leads to greater love and favor with God. It advises against seeking what is beyond our strength and highlights that the greater you are, the more humble you should be.

The Psalm sings of God’s goodness in helping the poor, and reminds us that it is right and just in rejoicing before God. It calls for praise to God, who acts as the defender of the fatherless and the widow and provides for the needy, as the Psalmist says.

The Letter to the Hebrews compares the fear of Mount Sinai with the joy and community of Mount Zion, where we come to the city of the living God and to Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant,” (Hebrews 12:24, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). It highlights the spiritual reality of a community of the firstborn sons and citizens of heaven.

In the gospel, Jesus teaches us a parable about the social aspect of the Kingdom of God, advising guests not to take the place of honor at a banquet. He says, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11, The Great Adventure Bible, Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition). Jesus also says in his parable for the host to invite not those who are rich or in good stature, but invite the poor, the crippled, those less fortunate, as they cannot repay the kindness. This will solidify a blessing from God.

The combined readings guide believers to understand that God’s Kingdom operates on the principle of humility, self-emptying service, and inclusion. True spiritual value comes not from status or honor-seeking but from acknowledging God’s gifts, serving others, especially the poor, and accepting a humble position before God and society.

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Creating and Sustaining a Life of Prayer, Part 4

This is part four of my prayer series. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and have been able to take away helpful information about your own prayer life. This series was built on the foundation of learning about prayer, how to use it in your daily life, and, today, learn to create and sustain a life of prayer.

A helpful way to do that is to break down the way in which you pray. Let’s take the word PRAY and make an acronym. By doing this, it makes praying more meaningful.

The first letter in our acronym (P) stands for PRAISE. Let praise begin your prayer. Be thankful. Psalm 100:1-4 says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!”

For the third letter (A) we ASK. Ask God for good things. Matthew 7:7-11 tells us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for brad will give hi a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” And remember, God wants you to ask. He will answer, but remember to give thanks to God, glorify Him. (John 14:13). Whatever you ask should be consistent with His word. (John 15:7). And what you ask of the Lord, should bring you joy. (John 16:23-24).

The second letter is (R) and stands for REPENT. Be sorrowful for whatever wrong you have done, even if you don’t know if what you did was wrong. Ask God to help you see whatever wrongdoing you may have done and be sorrowful and show remorse. Repent. Ask for forgiveness. Refer to Psalm 19:12, 14, where it says, “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

The final letter (Y) represents a time to be still. It means to YIELD. This is when you pause and stop talking, and you wait, listen, and seek to hear from God. How do you practice yielding to God when you pray? Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

So use PRAY when you pray. Let it help you continue your prayer life and you may see the goodness and wonders of God. Romans 12:12 tells us, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

One of my favorite passages in the bible is from Psalm 63. In verses 1-4 it says, “O God, your are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.” This also refers to another Psalm, as in Psalm 141:1-2, “O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!”

Again, I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. I will pray that you may keep that focus to Christ Jesus and the heavenly Father. Remember also that God hears us and knows what may be in the silence of our hearts. So take comfort in knowing that, as it says in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Take care and God bless you!