Who or what is king in your life – what is most important to you;

money, power, a person, entertainment idol?

For Christians, Jesus is King. This is what Catholics celebrated this Sunday and what the readings at Mass were about.

Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replies, “Yes I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” (John 18:37)

Jesus wants to be king of our lives. What does this mean? It means having Jesus as first our lives. – our relationships, our work and study, our family, our friends.  

Do we ever stop and ask when faced with a decision big or small, “what would Jesus do?”

Many may shy away from asking this question because we go it alone. Or perhaps we know little about Jesus or about his life portrayed in the gospels?

For catholic Catholics, welcoming Jesus in the readings at Mass and in Holy Communion is paramount.   

This is why there are so many who throughout the history of the Church have sacrificed their lives and many have died in horrific circumstances to celebrate Holy Mass.

To be true to Christ the King, everything and everyone must take a back seat or we cannot be who we really are and what God has called us to be for others. This is the path to true happiness right now and in eternity which is forever and for which this life is a preparation. In baptism Christians become prophet, priest and king with Christ; called to build that city of love, the Kingdom of God.

Our real life in the Kingdom of God in heaven is more wonderful than words can express and all that may prevent us from our final destiny is to be discarded as rubbish.

Pope Francis had a message for young people at the World Youth Day in Krakow in 2026. “(Jesus) wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams.”

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Will the world last forever or will it come to an end and if so, when?

Jesus speaks of the end of the world in the gospel this Sunday and in doing so, his second coming;

“They will see the son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.”

Mark 13: 16-27

Jesus gives the example of the fig tree which comes to life in spring to tell the disciples about the importance of seeing the signs of the times.

But Jesus concludes that only the Father knows the day and the hour.  

However, it is much more certain that we will see Jesus on our last day rather than in a catastrophe when “the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

We have no idea when our last day will be. When we are young we think we will live forever but as we age and see those we know killed in road accidents or dying with cancer we know how fragile life really is. When we wake up in the morning we have no certainty that we will see our bed in the evening.

So we must seize the moment – but how? By fulfilling God’s loving plan for our lives which in essence means to grow to know, love, and serve God.

God is love and we should become like him – to be people of faith – faith in Jesus; faith in who Jesus is and why he came. To see the world through the eyes of faith is to appreciate what a wonderful gift this life is – a life which is meant to be a preparation for eternity.

Let us begin with this present moment.

Dear Jesus, please be my guide, my inspiration, my way to the Father.

In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear;

“This poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed.”(Mark 12: 43 -44)

Jesus had been watching those contributing the Temple treasury and gave an important teaching about what he observed.

What message is here for us? What does it tell us about the woman’s faith? Surely trust. She had faith in a loving God. She didn’t have to worry about tomorrow. God will take care of her. Her faith meant everything. God is number is one in her life.

What or who do we put first in our life? What would we give up?

This is Remembrance Sunday. Young men gave up their lives. But also did those who refused to fight and suffered terribly as a result, especially in the first world war.

This gospel and about trust and sacrifice, not just money, but time and effort for what we believe?  

How can we make a difference to others? What will it take?

Dear Jesus everything I have is a gift. Help me to be generous?

Amen

What do we live by?

In the gospel reading for this Sunday, (Mark 12: 28 – 34) one of the Jewish leaders, a scribe, asks Jesus which is the most important commandment that we should live by. Jesus replies with the answer the scribe knew well.

“Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself.”

This commandment is part of a traditional Jewish prayer called the Shema and goes deeper than observing laws. You can’t love someone you don’t know so it’s about having a relationship with God.

Loving God is bound up with loving your neighbour.

How is it possible to love God while hating and mistreating others who are sons and daughters of God?  Here we are reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan which is about loving even foreigners.

Parents love their children and would do anything for them so when a mother or father sees one of their children harmed they grieve and feel it in their hearts and emotions. Think of the harm done to children by on line abuse for example and how this affects the parents.

Jesus called God Abba or Dad. God is our big Dad.

Wherever war takes place, it is sons and daughters of God who are killed. In the parable of the last judgement (Matthew 25. 40) we read about how we should treat others whatever their needs may be; “in so far as you did it to one of the least of these bothers of mine, you did it to me.”

If everyone lived by the great commandment, the world would be completely different.

Dear Lord, may I spread your peace