Sunday between 20 and 26 November
Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last Sunday before Advent
Christ the King (Year A)
First Reading - Ezekiel 34.11-16,20-24
A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.
My sheep were scattered
on a day of great darkness.
But like a shepherd,
I will search for my sheep,
and rescue them, says the Lord.
From the nations
I will gather them,
and I will bring them
to their own land.
I will feed them with good pasture
on the mountains;
and where broad rivers flow,
they will find their rest.
I will seek the lost,
and bring back the strayed.
I will bind up the injured,
and strengthen the weak.
But the strong
I will feed with justice,
when I judge
between the strong
and the hungry;
for it was the strong
that drove the weak away.
So I will rescue my sheep,
and judge between them.
And I, the Lord, will be their God;
and my servant David
will be their shepherd,
and their king.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Ephesians 1.17-23
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
The power of God
has raised Christ
from the dead,
to God’s right hand on high,
far above all earthly powers -
above every other name,
in this world, or the next.
God has made Christ
the head of the church;
and has made the church
the body of Christ.
So now may your hearts be filled
with the same power of God,
which is the gift of God
to all who believe.
May your hearts be filled
with all the glorious riches
that God gives to you, and to all the saints;
and with confidence
for the future
to which God has called you.
And may the God of glory,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
give you a spirit of wisdom
and insight,
that you may continue to grow
in the knowledge of God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - Matthew 25.31-45
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘When the Son of Man
comes in glory, with his angels,
all the nations will be gathered
before his royal throne,
and he will separate the people
like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats;
the sheep to his right, and the goats to his left.
Then he will say to those on his right,
“Come, you that are blessed by my Father;
and enter into the kingdom
that has been prepared for you
from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry, and you gave me food;
I was thirsty, and you gave me water;
I was destitute, and you gave me clothing;
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me;
I was sick, and you took care of me;
I was in prison, and you visited me.”
The righteous will answer him, “Lord,
when did we see you hungry
and give you food,
or thirsty and give you water?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or destitute, and give you clothing?
And when did we see you sick, or in prison,
and visit you?”
And he will answer them, “All that you did
for even the least
of these, my brothers and sisters,
you did for me.”
Then he will say to those on his left,
“You that are lost,
depart from me, for ever,
to the place of torment,
prepared for the devil,
for I was hungry, and you gave me no food;
I was thirsty, and you gave me no water;
I was in rags, and you gave me no clothing;
I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me;
I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.”
They will also answer, “Lord, when was it
that we saw you hungry, or thirsty,
or a stranger, or in rags,
or sick, or in prison,
and did not help you?”
And he will say to them, “Whenever you rejected
even the least
of these, my brothers and sisters,
you rejected me.”’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.