ADVENT is the four-week season dedicated to the reflective preparation of the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas and His return in the Second Coming. Liturgically, it has two focuses: 1.) The Second Coming at the end time (the first two weeks of Advent), 2.) The First Coming at Christmas (readings on the final days of Advent). Thus, the readings of the Gospels invite us to stay awake and be ready, for the Lord's coming will be unexpected. And this mystery of His Second Coming is only known to the Father. So, when Jesus was asked, He replied: "About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mt 24:36).

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast always invites us to look at the true Kingship of Christ, not one of domination, but one of mercy, patience, and relentless love. Our hero is the repentant thief; let us also have the posture of a remorseful heart, aware of our frailties, yet drawn back again and again by the goodness of our Lord and King. And this is precisely the mystery we celebrate, the Lord's reign not by crushing the unfaithful, but by welcoming the humble and contrite heart.

The historian Josephus agrees with the people about the beauty of the Temple in Jerusalem. He writes: No one except Herod the Great adorned it better - that made the Jews proud of their Temple. The massive white stones made it appear (from a distance) like a mountain covered by snow. Gold covers the facade of the sanctuary, and the entrance is adorned with golden vines for votive offerings; gifts of golden grape clusters dedicated to God draped it.

The Feast marks a pivotal moment for the universal church. It frames the archbasilica as the cathedral of Rome and the mother church that shapes how Catholics worship today.

Consecrated in AD 324, this unique basilica honors Christ the Savior and the twin patrons John the Baptist and John Evangelist. It holds the papal cathedra and bears the inscription naming it “Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World.”

All Souls' Day is the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. Jesus tells his disciples in the Gospel that He will raise them on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life (John 6:37-40). Meaning, He is the resurrection and the life. He fulfills this revelation through the promise of eternal life. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have new life on the last day.

Jesus simplifies what true righteousness is all about. It is not self-righteousness. And Jesus simplifies what Holiness is all about. Righteousness and Holiness Begin with Humility: “Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This prayer echoes the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk. 18:9–14), where the one who acknowledges his need for mercy goes home justified and aware of God's grace.

Persistence in prayer does not necessarily mean long, unending prayer, but heartfelt and confident prayer. In other words, it is not so much the quantity but the quality of our prayers that attracts the attention of God, His mercy, and compassion. Prayer isn’t a tool to manipulate God, but rather a way to align our hearts with His will. When Jesus emphasizes persistence in prayer, it’s not because it bends God’s arm, but because it forms our trust, deepens our faith, and keeps us close to Him. So, we pray: Jesus, we trust in You! Help us not to lose heart (Lk. 18:1).

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us the value of gratitude and how often we forget or take it for granted. It hurts to admit that frequently, we focus on what is missing and forget to thank God for our blessings. One of the most valuable attitudes we can cultivate is gratitude. Let us be grateful for everything and everyone in our lives. Blessed those who make it a practice to say: Thank you, Lord! For everything that life has given, or is giving us, the good or bad, the happiness and sadness, and still free from regrets, worries, fears, and hopelessness. “With gratitude, we shift to a higher frequency, which attracts better things.”

We all experience problems, trials, sufferings, and misfortunes that sometimes lead us to question our faith. Should we not request the Lord for the same appeal: Increase our faith. The disciples asked Jesus sincerely to increase their faith, knowing the weakness of their faith, and aware of their tendency to fear and doubt. The greater our fear, the lesser our faith. The greater our faith, the lesser our worries. Often, we have faith not so much in God, but in our own efforts, skills, or re- sources. In truth, we are still men and women of little faith.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus offers contrasting life situations, with the rich man as the central character and the recipient of a speaking role. In contrast, the poor Lazarus character serves only as a point of reference for the rich man to draw a lesson from, for him and His listeners during that era. In effect, Jesus warns all the filthy rich of their fate at the end of their lives, like the rich man tormented in the netherworld because he was already comforted in this life.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all stewards of our worldly possessions. That as we journey in life, may we not forget that we are accountable to the creator for these possessions, including our talents and our very lives. In addition, the Gospel reminds us that we are mere stewards of our lives, of everything and everyone in our lives; we are on borrowed time, and God loaned everything to us. The day will come when the Lord will ask an accounting of our stewardship. Lk. 16:2 “Prepare a full account of your stewardship.” There is no such thing as being the sole and permanent owner.

A cross could be a blessing. Every time the priest blesses us, he blesses us with a sign of the cross. Every cross that we carry is a blessing, and every blessing we receive there is a cross.

Why should we be concerned to learn about the things of God? Modern man spends most of their time focused only on the things of this world. They believe that it should be enough for a man. St. John Paul II’s response to this kind of mentality, he explained in his Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris Hominis.