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Our parish is staffed by the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.)
November 23, 2025
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
23 de Noviembre de 2025
Solemnidad de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Rey del Universo
Then the criminal said,
"Jesus, remember me
when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus replied to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise."
Entonces el criminal dijo:
«Jesús, acuérdate de mí
cuando vengas en tu reino».
Jesús le respondió:
«En verdad te digo,
hoy estarás conmigo en el paraíso».
Reflection on Sunday Readings by Fr. Luis and Fr. Raj
Reflexión sobre las lecturas dominicales del P. Luis y P. Raj
JESUCRISTO REY DEL UNIVERSO 2025
Queridos hermanos y hermanas: al finalizar el año litúrgico, la Iglesia católica celebra la fiesta de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Rey del Universo. Esta fiesta nos invita a reflexionar sobre la realeza de Jesús y, al mismo tiempo, sobre el cumplimiento de nuestros deberes cristianos. ¿Crees que los reyes de este mundo se parecen a Jesús? ¿Te imaginas a un rey crucificado? ¿Cuándo miras al crucificado, ves a un rey vestido de majestad y poder o a un ser humano despojado de todo? La fiesta de Jesucristo, Rey del Universo, fue instituida por el papa Pío XI en 1925, en un momento en que personajes notables como Hitler, Mussolini y Stalin comenzaron a erigirse como figuras de gran poder y autoridad, sembrando el miedo y la ansiedad en el mundo. El papa quiso invitar a la humanidad a mirar a Jesús como el único rey capaz de traer paz, justicia y salvación al mundo. Con esta fiesta terminamos el tiempo ordinario y nos preparamos para comenzar el tiempo de Adviento, en el que nos preparamos para conmemorar el nacimiento de Jesús y preparamos nuestros corazones para su segunda venida.
Estamos al final de este año litúrgico y la Iglesia nos ofrece una buena oportunidad para preguntarnos cómo ha sido nuestro desempeño espiritual durante este año. Para nuestra reflexión personal, podríamos hacernos las siguientes preguntas: ¿He cumplido con mis deberes cristianos durante este año? ¿He ido a misa todos los domingos y festivos? ¿He hecho obras de misericordia? Por ejemplo: ¿ayudé a los necesitados?, ¿soy un mejor ser humano, un mejor católico, un mejor cónyuge, un mejor compañero de trabajo?, ¿a cuántas personas he perdonado o a cuántas les he pedido disculpas este año?, ¿ha mejorado mi relación con Dios?, ¿he incrementado mi oración personal?, ¿he leído más la Biblia este año?
Hoy, la Iglesia católica nos invita a contemplar a Jesús como el Rey Supremo que tiene la capacidad de transformar el mundo y los corazones de las personas con una autoridad que no se ejerce desde el poder militar, político ni desde el despotismo, sino desde el amor, la humildad, la misericordia, el servicio y la sencillez. El rey que contemplamos no es un rey terrenal con un ejército dispuesto a matar por él. Por el contrario, es él quien está dispuesto a sacrificar su vida por su pueblo. No es un líder que usa el poder para servirse a sí mismo y manipular a los demás según sus intereses egoístas, sino el Mesías compasivo dispuesto a abrazar a quienes han hecho el bien y a perdonar a quienes se lo piden. No es un dictador ni un gobernante que viste ropas costosas y de moda, sino Aquel que fue despojado de todo para entregarlo todo al servicio de la humanidad. No necesita agentes del servicio secreto, inteligencia, armas automáticas ni nucleares para llevar a cabo su misión, sino solo un burro para llevarlo a Jerusalén en medio de la alegría de los humildes creyentes que lo vitorearon en su camino hacia la pasión, la muerte y la resurrección.
Hoy celebramos al Rey Crucificado, que tiene los brazos abiertos para recibir a todos. Celebramos a Aquel que no se bajó de la cruz, sino que soportó burlas, desprecios, maldiciones e incluso una inscripción irónica sobre su cabeza que rezaba: «Jesús el Nazareno, Rey de los Judíos». Celebramos, por tanto, al Rey que eligió transformar el mundo con humildad, sencillez, perseverancia y amor eterno desde su divino corazón, lleno de divina misericordia.
Hoy celebramos al Rey divino que, al venir a la tierra, fue crucificado y despojado. Al rey siempre dispuesto a perdonar, como lo hizo con uno de los malhechores crucificados junto a él, para demostrarnos que nunca es tarde para buscar su misericordia. Que esta celebración sea una oportunidad para invitar a Jesús a reinar en nuestros corazones, en nuestros hogares, en nuestra nación y en el mundo entero. Amén.
P. Luis Segura M.S.C.
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JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE 2025
Dear brothers and sisters, as the liturgical year draws to a close, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This feast invites us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus and, at the same time, on the fulfillment of our Christian duties. Do you think the kings of this world are like Jesus? Can you imagine a crucified king? When you look at the crucified Christ, do you see a king clothed in majesty and power or a human being stripped of everything? The Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, at a time when notable figures such as Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin began to rise to power, sowing fear and anxiety throughout the world. The Pope wanted to invite humanity to look to Jesus as the only king capable of bringing peace, justice, and salvation to the world. With this feast we conclude Ordinary Time and prepare to begin the season of Advent, in which we prepare to commemorate the birth of Jesus and prepare our hearts for his second coming.
We are at the end of this liturgical year, and the Church offers us a good opportunity to reflect on our spiritual performance this year. For our personal reflection, we could ask ourselves the following questions: Have I fulfilled my Christian duties this year? Have I attended Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation? Have I performed works of mercy? For example: Have I helped those in need? Am I a better person, a better Catholic, a better spouse, a better coworker? How many people have I forgiven or apologized to this year? Has my relationship with God improved? Have I increased my personal prayer? Have I read the Bible more this year?
Today, the Catholic Church invites us to contemplate Jesus as the Supreme King who has the power to transform the world and the hearts of people with an authority that is not exercised through military or political power, nor through despotism, but through love, humility, mercy, service, and simplicity. The King we contemplate is not an earthly king with an army willing to kill for him. On the contrary, he is the one willing to sacrifice his life for his people. He is not a leader who uses power to serve himself and manipulate others according to his selfish interests, but the compassionate Messiah willing to embrace those who have done good and forgive those who ask for it. He is not a dictator or a ruler who wears expensive and fashionable clothes, but the One who was stripped of everything to give it all in service to humanity. He doesn't need secret service agents, intelligence, automatic or nuclear weapons to carry out his mission, but only a donkey to take him to Jerusalem amidst the joy of the humble believers who cheered him on his way to passion, death, and resurrection.
Today we celebrate the Crucified King, who has open arms to receive all. We celebrate the One who did not come down from the cross, but endured mockery, scorn, curses, and even an ironic inscription above his head that read: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." We celebrate, therefore, the King who chose to transform the world with humility, simplicity, perseverance, and eternal love from his divine heart, overflowing with divine mercy.
Today we celebrate the divine King who, upon coming to earth, was crucified and stripped of his possessions. The King always ready to forgive, as he did with one of the criminals crucified beside him, to show us that it is never too late to seek his mercy. May this celebration be an opportunity to invite Jesus to reign in our hearts, in our homes, in our nation, and in the whole world. Amen.
Fr. Luis Segura, M.S.C.
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He opens His Arms to All…
Today too, the Gospel brings us back to the roots of our faith. Those roots are planted in the barren soil of Calvary, where Jesus, like the seed that falls to the earth and dies, made hope spring up. Planted in the heart of the earth, he opened the way to heaven; by his death, he gave us eternal life; from the wood of the cross, he brought us the fruits of salvation. Let us then gaze upon him, the Crucified One.
On the cross, we see a single phrase: “This is the King of the Jews” (Lk 23:38). That is Jesus’ title: he is a king. Yet as we gaze upon him, our idea of a king is turned upside down. When we try to visualize a king, what comes to mind is a powerful man seated on a throne with magnificent insignia, a scepter in his hand and precious rings on his fingers, speaking in solemn tones to his subjects. That, more or less, is what we imagine. Looking at Jesus, though, we see the complete opposite. He is not comfortably enthroned, but hanging on a gibbet. The God who “casts down the mighty from their thrones” (Lk 1:52) appears as a slave executed by those in power. Appareled only with nails and thorns, stripped of every-thing yet rich in love, from his throne on the cross he no longer teaches the crowds by his words; he no longer lifts his hands as a teacher. He does more: pointing a finger at no one, he opens his arms to all.
Only by entering into his embrace do we understand: we come to realize that God went to this extreme, even to the paradox of the cross, in order to embrace every one of us, no matter how far distant we may be from him: he embraces our death, our pain, our poverty, our weakness. He embraced all of it. He became a slave so that each of us could become a son. By his becoming a slave, he purchased our sonship. He let himself be insulted and derided, so that whenever we are brought low, we will never feel alone. He let himself be stripped of his garments, so that no one would ever feel stripped of his or her rightful dignity. He ascended the cross, so that God would be present in every crucified man or woman throughout history. This is our king, the king of the universe, for he journeyed to the furthest confines of our human experience, entered into the black hole of hatred, the black hole of abandonment, in order to bring light to every life and to embrace all reality. My brothers and sisters, this is the king whom today we acclaim! His is not a kingship easy to understand. And the question we ought to be asking is this: Is this king of the universe also the king of my life? Do I believe in him. How can I celebrate him as the Lord of all creation, unless he also becomes the Lord of my life?
So let us look once more upon the crucified Jesus. Let us look at him. He does not look at our life only for a brief moment, or give us the same kind of fleeting glance that we so often give him. No, he stays there, a brasa aduerte, to say to you in silence that nothing about you is foreign to him, that he wants to embrace you, to lift you up and to save you just as you are, with your past history, your failings and your sins. “But Lord, is this true, that you love me with all my failings?” Right now, let us think about our own personal poverty: “Lord, do you love me with this spiritual poverty and all these limitations?” And the Lord smiles and makes us understand that he loves us and gave his life for us. That is what God wants to tell us whenever we let him gaze upon us. Then we realize that ours is not an “unknown God”, up in the heavens, powerful and distant, but rather a God who is close: closeness is God’s “style”, close-ness with tenderness and mercy. Tenderness and compassion; his open arms console and caress us. That is our king! [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Homilies, 23 XI 22
Rev. Jos Rajesh Peter M.S.C.
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe 2025 C
My friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is the last Sunday in the Church’s Liturgical Year. Next week, we begin a new year in the Church with the season of Advent.
…As you recall, at the beginning of Jesus’ life, the Magi or the Wise Men asked the question of Herod, "Where is the King of the Jews?"
Now, as we just heard, at the very end of his life, Jesus’ death sentence was attached to his cross and it read: "This is the King of the Jews" (I.N.R.I. / Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews).
Christ the King. What a conundrum. Such a contradiction in what the “usual” understanding of what a KING is.
The world’s view of a king is that of power, opulence and wealth. People bowing, giving honor and respect. Although, many times it was not honor – but fear !
As we just heard, our King, the King of Heaven and Earth, the King of the Jews, is being executed by the State. Jesus’ suffering and death was instigated and promoted the religious leaders. Talk about a conundrum, instead of leading the people in prayer and worship, the religious leaders conspired and led the people and the government to kill Jesus.
We have such a dichotomy in our Liturgy today. We’re celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King and the gospel reading chosen for this Mass portrays our King as being mocked, laughed at, scorned, tortured and killed…
Why not choose a gospel reading that portrays Jesus as being victorious ? Or choose a gospel about the Resurrection or Jesus Ascending into Heaven to take his seat at the right hand of the Father ?
Some understanding of this is found in Isaiah 55:
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways,” says the LORD. “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.”
My friends, what seems to be a dichotomy is a dichotomy !
...God's view of a King is very different than the world's view of a King...
Jesus - our king – began his life in a manger – a CAVE ! And, his life ended on a cross. During his life, his teachings were very much different than the usual teachings of the “world”:
Jesus taught us that a genuine leader is not someone who is waited on hand and foot. Rather, he or she the one who serves the rest.
Jesus taught us that we should not hold onto a grudge. Rather, we should forgive 70 times 7 times.
Jesus taught us that instead of seeking revenge and punishment, we should “turn the other cheek” and “love our enemies.”
To be a disciple of Jesus means that we think differently, act differently, are different than most of the world. Jesus Christ – our King – is a different King…… And, the same can be said for the King’s Court, his Subjects. The closest followers of Jesus were the Apostles, an unlikely bunch of leaders to be sure ! Most would consider these twelve as followers, not leaders.
And the heroes and heroines in the Gospels ? Tax Collectors and sinners.
The Good Samaritan and the Samaritan Woman were considered pagan foreigners. Yet, Jesus used them and their faith to teach us about the love of God. Also, the people Jesus healed were mostly outcasts, people who were shunned.
Jesus the Christ, our King, is a different King…..
In our gospel reading, everyone, except one, was taunting and making fun of Jesus: "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one of God."
The only one who did not poke fun of Jesus was one of the criminals hanging on a cross next to Jesus. That criminal realized that it is never too late to seek the mercy of God.
God used this criminal to teach us that, as long as a person's heart beats, the invitation to the Kingdom of Jesus still stands. God never gives up on us. While there is life, there is hope.
When we place our trust in God, we, too, have the assurance of Jesus: "You – will be with me in Paradise."
“Before you speak of peace, you must first have it in your heart.” –Francis of Assisi
“Antes de hablar de paz, primero debes tenerla en tu corazón”. –Francisco de Asís
