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Call Us: 617-846-7400

Address: 320 Winthrop St, Winthrop, MA 02152

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St. John the Evangelist Church

St. John the Evangelist Church

  • About
    • Ministers and Staff
    • Facilities
    • History
    • Links
  • News & Events
  • Donations
    • Donate Now
    • Planned Gifts
    • Holiday Meal Donations
    • Holiday Flowers
    • Grand Annual Collection
    • Commitment to Parish Life
    • Planned Gifts
  • Ministries
    • Community Help
    • Baptism
    • Parish Ministries
      • Bereavement Group
      • Collections
      • Eucharistic Ministers
      • Kenyan Community
      • Lectors
      • Liturgy Committee
      • Music Ministry and Choirs
      • RCIA
    • Committees
      • Commitment to Parish Life Committee
      • Buildings and Property Committee
      • Communications and Technology
      • Finance Committee
    • CYO Basketball
    • Weddings
      • Marriage Prep Program
  • Religious Education
    • Confirmation
      • Service – Why is it important?
      • Choosing your Sponsor
      • Choosing a Confirmation Name
  • Contact

Gospel Reflection from Notre Dame

Michael E. Cickovski ’88

Today is a day that reminds us that Jesus is our king.  But what kind of king is he?

We often think of kings as individuals who consolidate power, authority, and wealth under their own control.  The concept is foreign to those of us who have lived in democracies our entire lives.  For us, power comes from the people who chose their leaders through regular elections.  Leaders have power only by virtue of the consent of the governed.

Jesus is not a leader in the sense of a modern democratic leader nor in the sense of a traditional historical monarch.  Today’s gospel shows us that Jesus is the king who comes to us,  through every age, in the form of the poor, the vulnerable, the downtrodden, and the hungry.  Jesus is the king who casts aside power, authority, and wealth so that he can identify with those who are most in need.  He is a king who invites our loyalty rather than coercing it.  The most dramatic aspect of this reading is the fact that Jesus tells us that service to others is truly (and literally) service to him.

Jesus’ kingship is a transformation of our idea of kingship on every level.  He arrives as a baby and leaves on the cross.  Today’s feast reminds me that every position of leadership that God has entrusted to me must be, first and foremost, an opportunity to serve others.

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