We serve as the Shepherd King

The Roman Catholic Lectionary presents texts today to celebrate Christ the King. Our modern understanding of King may be similar to our misunderstanding that righteousness is a matter of following rules of a religious authority. The passage from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel will clarify the role of king at the time of the exile to Babylon. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the historic situation faced by Ezekiel as he uses the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians to remind us of our spiritual heritage as participants in the sin of Adam who are shepherded by Jesus, according to the will of the Father, to be subject to the Will, with Jesus, wherein we find our purpose. This passage is an expression of a religious doctrine of salvation which is one of the grandest themes in Scripture. The Final Judgement passage from the Gospel of Matthew, as noted by Friar Jude, redefines righteousness as compassion, walking with, the other. The Psalmist proclaims the Lord is My Shepherd as we come to understand, through Jesus, that we serve the Will of the Father as we serve others. How can the Real Presence for which Kyle Lierk has reverence be the source today of our service for the hungry, thirsty, abandoned, marginalized, imprisoned, distraught, depressed, war ravaged, desperate, radicalized, rejected, scorned, abused, and vilified? Perhaps if we take the choice of Joseph, from the comments of Friar Jude, to serve our beloved as our surrender to the Will of God, the righteousness which we seek to be sheep instead of goats will grow to the vision of service to all the sheep in the flock of the Heavenly Father.