“The Man Who Would Be King” is a story by Rudyard Kipling. This is not that story, but today’s gospel. If this gospel sounds super familiar, it should be. This is the parable of the gold coins as told by St. Luke. Just this previous Sunday, the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, our gospel was the parallel in the Gospel of Mattew, the parable of the Talents. If you are so inclined, you can read my Sunday homily on the gospel. Continue reading
I suspect if I asked most people, “Who is the King?” the answer might well come back “Elvis.” There is just part of us that lives in a pop-culture world. Besides, we Americans aren’t too keen on kings. After all, we fought a Revolutionary War to rid ourselves of English monarchs. Of course, we remain fascinated by them. Just look at the television ratings for royal weddings. But kings are a prominent feature of the Old Testament, e.g. 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. But hen we look back into the pages of salvation history the great names are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 sons of Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Judith – none of them are kings. Today’s first reading answers the question: how did Israel get a king? Here is how it all came about. Continue reading
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