Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

November 23, 2025

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,

"He saved others, let him save himself

if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God."

Even the soldiers jeered at him.

As they approached to offer him wine they called out,

"If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."

Above him there was an inscription that read,

"This is the King of the Jews."

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,

"Are you not the Christ?

Save yourself and us."

The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,

"Have you no fear of God,

for you are subject to the same condemnation?

And indeed, we have been condemned justly,

for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,

but this man has done nothing criminal."

Then he said,

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

He replied to him,

"Amen, I say to you,

today you will be with me in Paradise."

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Thy Kingdom Come..."Today"

~Rev. Thomas Dailey O.S.F.S.

John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics & Social Communication at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary

Through a contrast in voices, Luke’s Gospel today narrates what the solemnity celebrates.

Rulers “sneer” – turning their noses up at the figure of one believed to be “the chosen one” of God now hanging on a cross.

Soldiers “jeer” – reviling him as a supposed sovereign, a “king” who has no power to stop them from crucifying him.

And a criminal “blasphemes” – showing neither religious sensibility (“no fear of God”) nor judicial awareness (his sentence “corresponds” to his crime), he reproaches “the Christ” as one unable or unwilling to “save himself” and those condemned with him.

But the other criminal gets it. He calls out to “Jesus” – a boldly direct address found nowhere else in the Gospel. He pleads “remember me” – not for his wrongdoing but for his newfound understanding. He entrusts his future to one whose power is present (when he “comes”) in a realm uniquely his (“your” kingdom).

In reply, Jesus does so much more, for him and for us.

The “chosen one” chooses to see the wrongdoer no longer as a criminal but as a disciple. Like anyone who believes in who Jesus really is, “you” will also have a place “with me” in the kingdom.

The “king” proclaims his kingdom to be a “paradise” (a Persian term for a garden or park). Evoking neither political power or military might, the image of Jesus’s kingdom one of unending rest and peace, an experience humans inherently desire, something beyond the suffering endemic to life in this world.



And “the Christ” make that paradise possible “today” – by remaining on the cross, contrary to the cries of his critics. In doing so for God’s sake, the messiah loses his earthly life, only to “save” it and all human life, just as he taught (Luke 9:24) and as his resurrection confirms.

The Temptation to Bargain with God - and the Call to Trust Instead

~Jennifer Dusza

Saint Mary Church + Schwenksville, Pa.

As a mother, one of the hardest things to do is to watch your children suffer. There isn’t anything we wouldn’t do to take away their pain. I'll never forget the day we found out our son, just three years old, had a tumor and would need surgery. “Lord,” I prayed, “let him be okay. If You allow Him to come through this healthy and whole, I will…” Sixteen years have passed, and while I’ve forgotten the exact bargains I offered God, I know now they came from a place of fear, not faith. My only prayer should have been, “Lord, Your Will be done. Please show me Your Will.”

My initial response wasn’t too far from what the criminal at the crucifixion of Christ said, which to paraphrase was “prove you are God by doing what I say.”  I find myself frequently defaulting to focusing on my thoughts, my feelings, and what is happening in my little slice of this world and trying to make God do what I think is best for me. What God realizes that I don’t is that these trying moments allow me to press into Him all the more. In my discomfort, sadness, grief, exhaustion, confusion or whatever else I might be going through He is the ultimate good parent. But He doesn’t just want to stop our temporal suffering, He wants to do what is best to make us spiritually healthy and whole and so His Will is frequently very different from my desires.



The path to holiness for me isn’t to use bargaining prayers, it is to gently redirect my thoughts to gratitude. When I thank God for everything, I can see His Goodness and His help even in my moments of difficulty. I tell my children, “There are no bad times, only difficult times.” And that’s completely true! God is all goodness, so anything that happens to us isn’t “bad,” but because we live in a fallen human world we will always be faced with difficult situations. I have learned to see those difficulties as kisses from Heaven.