My King and my Shepherd

Today's readings http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112011.cfm reminds me the role Jesus plays in my life.

In the first reading, he is my shepherd. A shepherd knows his flock well. He knows each and every sheep in the flock, and he knows hoe to handle each and every one of them - just like a how parents know how to handle their children. The reading reminds me of how caring and loving Jesus is as my shepherd, how he will do things for me. However, it also reminds me how he will discipline me. It is said that shepherds break the leg of the sheep if they don’t listen. They do it so that the sheep will not wander away from the flock and be exposed to danger. Ganun din si God. Tough love. He will do whatever it takes to correct and discipline me. And when there's pain, i just have to trust in him, and remember that it's for my own good that he's doing it.

As we celebrate Christ the King, we should also remember that he is not a typical king. He was not the typical Messiah the Jews were expecting - no fancy clothes, no huge kingdom, no strong army. Likewise, he is not the typical king. He doesn’t want us to just serve him. He wants us to serve him by serving others. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility, and so Christ, our King, came to serve us. May we take that example and serve others so we can serve him in this world. May all we want is to love and serve Him through others. Then we can be one with the psalmist in saying that The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reflection questions:

IS Christ the King in my life? In what ways am i serving Christ through others? What do i do with the "earthly power" given me? Do I use it to serve others, or am I corrupted by it and demand that I be served by others?