Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King
Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
The Word This Week
Notes for Readers
First
What is a king? Throughout history there have been many examples, some good, some bad, and some appalling. The story we see here is a simple historical narrative: nevertheless there is something that marks David out as a king: he was chosen by the Lord to be the shepherd of my people
Second
While the first reading was narrative, this is poetry and very deep poetry at that! The unasked question here is, Who is Christ, our King? The long poem or hymn (printed in sense-lines in the Lectionary) is a hymn to Christ, which follows on from the reference which links most explicitly into todays feast: he has created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves : make sure you emphasise this line, so that everything that follows fits into place. The poem is a wonderful summary of salvation history everything from before the world was created to our age the time of the Church, which is Christs body. Take your time, but read with a sense of praise and thanksgiving for all that God has done through Christ, our King.
Wordsearch
Click on the link to get this week's Gospel based Wordsearch. Feel free to copy and paste it into your parish publications.