Lectio Divina

(Sacred Reading)
November 24, 2023
For the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, King of the Universe
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 Benedicite!
Let us remember that we are always
in the Most Holy Presence of God.

To those coming from other faith traditions

you may now make your sign of faith
as we make ours.

+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
 Opening Prayer
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
before Reading the Sacred Scriptures

O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart

that I may hear your Word, and understand and
do your will, for I am a pilgrim upon the Earth.
Hide not your commandments from me, but open
my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of your
Law. Speak unto me the hidden and secret things
of your wisdom.
 Opening Prayer
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
before Reading the Sacred Scriptures

On you do I set my hope, O my God, that you

shall enlighten my mind and understanding with
the light of your knowledge; not only to cherish
those things which are written, but to do them;
For you are the enlightenment of those who lie in
darkness, and from you comes every good deed
and every gift. Amen.
 Lectio
“Take a Bite”
of the Word
 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his
left.
 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
 Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
Meditatio
“Chew”
on the Word
Meditate on the following questions:
• What word or words in this passage
caught your attention?
• What in this passage
comforted you?
• What in this passage
challenged you?
Contemplatio
“Digest”
the Word
 Reflection:
“Shepherd King”
by Fr. Arnel Aquino, SJ
 Reflection
If you notice, this Sunday Gospel about sheep and
goats is an allusion to shepherding. I know I
cannot prevent you from thinking of the ‘end of
the world’ whenever you hear this Gospel, when
sheep will go to heaven and goats to hell when the
Messiah comes to settle the score. If you’re a hard-
core believer in end-of-the-world scenarios, at
least allow me to offer you an alternative
interpretation to the parable of sheep and goats.
 Reflection
At the end of each desert day, shepherds have to
separate sheep from goats. It’s not because sheep
are meek and goats are pala-away so that they’d
have to spend the night separately. Wool keeps
sheep naturally warm overnight even without a
roof over them. Goats, however, don’t do equally
well in the cold and their young can die of
hypothermia during the night.
 Reflection
So, while sheep can sleep in open corrals, goats are
herded into an enclosed, warmer shed, with the
ground layered with hay. See? That’s how
shepherds take good care not just of meek sheep
but also of pala-away goats! Both are cared for,
lovingly!
 Reflection
Sisters and brothers, if you and I are truly self-
aware rather than self-righteous, we should count
ourselves as the goats in God’s Kingdom rather
than sheep, shouldn’t we? But we need not fear
the coming of the King as a settling of scores.
Our King is a deeply and truly a Shepherd.
 Reflection
First of all, our selfless King does not wait for the
end of the world to trumpet his presence. No; he’s
already here, always was, always is. And secondly,
nothing makes our King feel ever more powerful
than when he’s shepherding us, his fickle, fearful
flock.

So, long live Christ our King! Long live Jesus, our
one, our only Shepherd-King!
Oratio
“Savor”
the Word
 Closing Prayer
O loving God,
give us the grace to experience more deeply
the caring heart of the Shepherd-King
and to follow him more intimately
into his kingdom of love, justice and peace.
Together with the community of the redeemed
and the entire renewed creation, we cry out with
joy:
“For the kingdom, the power and the glory are
yours, now and forever.”
Amen.
St. Benedict and St. Scholastica
Pray for us.
 Mary with her loving son,
+Bless us each and everyone
That in all things
God may be
glorified!
 Lectio Divina
(Sacred Reading)
November 24, 2023
For the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, King of the Universe