Introduction: Christ the
King: May you look forward to living, and live now, as an heir in the eternal Reign
of Christ our King, and may that drive you to serve others as Jesus did.
As a child, ours friends and we may have used to play “King
and Queen.” A few of us would be the Royals and have the rest serve us, bowing before
us and taking care of our needs. That was the model of being ultimate rulers that
we had then. Yet, when Jesus was born and lived here on earth, He presented a different
model of being a King. He came to serve and not be served, and to give His life
so that we might live. It is because of His loving service, His sacrificial giving
of Himself, that we can enter into His Reign and share in its glory, not as insignificant
subjects (although that is what we are), but as princesses and princes – heirs in
the Reign of GOD. Let us continue to give thanks to Jesus, our King!
Today’s readings focus on the concept of kingship, particularly
the Kingship of Christ Jesus. The First Reading declares the joy of the Israelites
as they come to David, and they crown and anointed him their king. The Responsorial
Psalm likewise proclaims the joy of those who are on the way to the city of King
David. St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, exults and exalts Jesus as co-creator,
redeemer, and royal ruler of the Reign of GOD, His Abba-Father. The
Gospel informs us that Jesus is crucified because He claims that He is the King.
Although most people ridicule His kingship, Jesus promises a place in His heavenly
reign to the repentant criminal who is crucified with Him.
First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3: ‘They anointed David king
over Israel.’
Commentary: David
is a fascinating character. As a leader he had a charm and charism which were
irresistible. There is no doubt that he was ambitious. When the women sang,
‘Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands’, it was music
to his ears. The king’s son fell in love with him and gave him his own prince’s
gear. The king’s daughter fell in love with him, and he accepted her as a good
dynastic marriage; but he never had children by her, though he was not lacking
in sexual drive (Bathsheba was to come later). He set up a protection racket in
Judah and so won the loyalty of the tribal leaders there; they first anointed
him king of Judah at Hebron, the southern tribal capital. Finally, after Saul’s
death, the elders of the northern tribes, Israel, came to anoint him king as
well, to reign over the whole country. But he also took the first steps to
setting up the Temple cult, and was ever after remembered for that. It was to
David that the promises of God’s eternal monarchy were given which were to be
fulfilled in Jesus. These promises echo down and down the scriptures; they were
the basis of all Israel’s hope.
Responsorial Psalm: 122:1-2. 4-5. Let us go rejoicing to
the house of the LORD.
For the “Chosen People,” a pilgrimage to the Temple of GOD
in the royal city of King David is an exciting event. Jerusalem is seen as the
place to be, because it is here that the Davidic line rules and here GOD’s
presence is felt. There seems to be a link between the king and GOD. So, to go
to Jerusalem is a double blessing – not only to be in GOD’s presence, but to be
with the ruler who represents GOD’s choosing.
Second Reading: Colossians 1:12-20: ‘He has transferred
us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.’
Commentary: This
reading celebrates the unrivalled position of Jesus as first-born not only in
the order of creation, but also in the resurrection. In the order of creation,
Christ is the image of the unseen God, the model or template on which God
created the world, the Wisdom of God, so the first-born and yet himself
uncreated. In the order of the resurrection also he is the first-born, bringing
all things to perfection, and so the crown of creation. Before this we today
have a significant preface. Paul is writing, with a slight air of surprise, to
the gentiles: the gentiles too are enabled to enter into this inheritance, to
join Christ in this kingdom, promised to David and fulfilled in Jesus. As this
year’s gospel readings have taught us again and again, it is not a kingdom that
we can earn. All we need to do is to submit ourselves for forgiveness. Not all
that easy, perhaps! Put the other way round: all we need to do is stop
pretending to others and ourselves that we are perfect.
Gospel: Luke 23:35-43; ‘Lord,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
Commentary: The
crucifixion scene in Luke, as in all the gospels, is the climax. And Jesus is
stressed as being King. The soldiers mock him as such, but the gospel’s use of
irony ensures that we understand that they are saying more than they realise.
They mock him also as Saviour (‘Save yourself and us as well!’), and especially
in Luke, from the Infancy Stories onwards, is Jesus seen as the true
Saviour-God. In Luke the crucifixion scene is primarily a scene of forgiveness,
where Jesus carries on to the very end his work of forgiveness, which Luke has
underlined throughout the gospel. It begins with the women of Jerusalem
mourning for Jesus, and ends with all the spectators departing, beating their
breasts, recognizing their universal guilt. Jesus spontaneously forgives his
executioners, asking for them God’s forgiveness before they even ask
themselves. He welcomes into his kingdom of paradise the bandit who
spontaneously acknowledges his guilt. It is the climax of the reversal of
values which we have seen throughout this gospel that the King should be the
wretched figure dying on the Cross, and that homage should be paid to him not
by dignified courtiers, but by another wretched figure,
dying by his side.
Reflection: Meditation: Do you recognize that the Lord Jesus
has been given all authority and power by his Father in heaven to reign over
all creation - including the heavens and the earth? Jesus was crucified for his
claim to be the Anointed King sent by the Father in heaven (John 18:37 and Luke
23:38) to establish his kingdom not only for his people Israel, but for all
nations and peoples as well (Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 24:30 and Matthew
26:63-64).
God is King and Ruler over
all: What is the significance and meaning of Jesus' kingship for us?
Kingship today seems outdated and useless, especially in democratic societies
where everyone is supposed to be treated equal and free. Many rulers in past
ages claimed they had sovereign authority to rule by divine edict. But God did
not give his people Israel a king at first. Why? Because God alone was their
King and they needed no other. Nonetheless, God relented and chose David as
King over Israel with the promise that God would raise up through David's royal
line a Savior who would establish an everlasting kingdom of righteousness and
peace that would endure for all ages (Psalm 89:29).
The Jews understood that the Messiah ("Anointed
One") would come as God's anointed King to restore paradise and establish
God's reign of peace for them. They wanted a Messianic King who would free them
from strife and division and from foreign oppression. Many had high hopes that
Jesus would be the Messiah and Ruler for Israel. Little did they understand
what kind of kingship Jesus claimed to possess.
Jesus' claim to kingship: Jesus
came to deliver his people, and the whole world, from the worst kind of tyranny
possible - from bondage to sin, guilt and condemnation, and from the wages of
sin which is death (Romans 6:23) and separation from an all-merciful and just
Father who gave us his son to set us free and to adopt us as his beloved sons
and daughters. Jesus came to conquer hearts and souls for an imperishable
kingdom - a kingdom ruled not by force or fear - but by the power of God's
righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
When Satan tempted Jesus during his forty day fast in the
wilderness, he offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9).
Jesus knew that the world was in Satan's power. And this was precisely why
Jesus came - to overthrow Satan's power and deception over the earth. Jesus
knew that the way to victory was through submission to his Father's will and
plan to lay down his life for us and reverse the curse of sin and death for us.
The Father sent his only begotten Son into the world, not to condemn it, but to
save it through the atoning sacrifice which Jesus would make for us through the
shedding of his blood on the cross of Calvary.
Jesus came to restore
Paradise for us - everlasting life with God: As Jesus was crucified
on the cross alongside two criminals who were thieves, one mocked him for his
claim to divine kingship. But the other thief recognized through the eyes of
faith that Jesus was truly God's Anointed King and Savior. He petitioned Jesus
to treat his poor soul with mercy and pardon, "Jesus, remember me when you
come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). Jesus not only granted him
forgiveness, but a place with him in his everlasting kingdom. "Truly, I
say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Jesus died not only as King of the Jews, but as King of all
nations and Lord of the universe. His victory over the power of sin, Satan, and
the world was accomplished through his atoning death on the cross and his
resurrection on the third day. Jesus exchanged a throne of glory for a cross of
shame to restore us from slavery to sin to glory with God as his adopted sons
and daughters. That is why the Father exalted his Son and raised him in glory
over the heavens and the earth. In the Book of Revelation Jesus is called King
of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). He now sits in glory at the
right hand of the Father in heaven - and from his throne he rules as Lord over
all Do you recognize Jesus Christ as your Sovereign King and Redeemer?
Which ruler and kingdom do
you serve? The Scriptures tell us that there are ultimately only two
kingdoms in this world which are opposed to one another - the kingdom of light
and the kingdom of darkness. Each kingdom is ruled by one lord or master - the
Lord Jesus Christ who is the true "Light of the World" - and the
false messiah and deceiver who is called the "anti-Christ" and the
"angel of light" who rules over men and women through the power of
false promises, lies, and temptation to sin and disobedience.
If we follow the Lord Jesus and entrust our lives to him he
will open our eyes to the light of his truth and guide us by his Holy Spirit
along the path that leads to our true homeland with God. If we follow the
course which is set by the ruler of this present world - a world which is
opposed to Christ and blinded by Satan - then we will discover that sin, pride,
and deception will lead us down a path of destruction, death, and separation,
rather than life, freedom, and friendship with God and the people he has
redeemed with the precious blood of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which kingdom will you serve - today, tomorrow, and for all
eternity? This present world will pass away, but God's kingdom will endure
forever. If we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and King and submit to his rule for
our lives, we become citizens of heaven and inherit an everlasting kingdom
which is ruled by righteousness, peace, and love. Is the Lord Jesus the true
King and Master of your life?
Lord Jesus Christ, you are my King and there is no other. Be
the Lord and Master of my heart, mind, body, and soul. May I always seek to do
your will and to serve your kingdom above all else.
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: My kingdom is not
of the world, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Listen, everyone, Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and
uncircumcised. Listen, all kings of the earth. I am no hindrance to your rule
in this world, for 'my kingdom is not of this world.' Banish the groundless
fear that filled Herod the Great on hearing that Christ was born. More cruel in
his fear than in his anger, he put many children to death (Matthew 2:3,16), so
that Christ would also die. But 'my kingdom is not of this world,' says Christ.
What further reassurance do you seek? Come to the kingdom that is not of this
world. Do not be enraged by fear but come by faith. In a prophecy Christ also
said, 'He,' that is, God the Father, 'has made me king o
n Zion his holy mountain' (Psalm 2:6). But that Zion and
that mountain are not of this world.
"What in fact is Christ's kingdom? It is simply those
who believe in him, those to whom he said, 'You are not of this world, even as
I am not of this world.' He willed, nevertheless, that they should be in the
world, which is why he prayed to the Father, 'I ask you not to take them out of
the world but to protect them from the evil one' (John 17:15-16). So here also
he did not say, 'My kingdom is not' in this world but 'is not of this world.'
And when he went on to prove this by declaring, 'If my kingdom were of this
world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the
Jews,' he concluded by saying not 'my kingdom is not here' but 'my kingdom is
not from here.'
"Indeed, his kingdom is here until the end of time, and
until the harvest it will contain weeds. The harvest is the end of the world,
when the reapers, who are the angels, will come and gather out of his kingdom
all causes of sin (Matthew 13:48-41). And this could not happen if his kingdom
were not here. But even so, it is not from here, for it is in exile in the
world. Christ says to his kingdom, 'You are not of the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world' (John 15:19). They were indeed of the world when they
belonged to the prince of this world, before they became his kingdom. Though
created by the true God, everyone born of the corrupt and accursed stock of
Adam is of the world. [But] everyone who is reborn in Christ becomes the
kingdom that is no longer of the world. For God has snatched us from the powers
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians
1:13). This is that kingdom of which he said, 'My kingdom is not of this world;
my kingly power does not come from here." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE
GOSPEL OF JOHN 115.2)
King Jesus
“There was an inscription over His head: ‘THIS IS THE KING
OF THE JEWS.’ ” —Luke 23:38
On this last Sunday of the Church year, we totally commit
our lives to Jesus and acknowledge Him as our King and the King of kings (Rv
19:16). Like the good thief, we may have ignored Jesus’ kingship for years or
even for our entire lives, but we can repent today. When with contrite hearts
we say, “Jesus, remember me when You enter upon Your reign” (Lk 23:42), Jesus
will also reply to us: “I assure you: this day you will be with Me in paradise”
(Lk 23:43).
Today we can make or renew a commitment to Jesus, which will
have eternal significance. Some people think they don’t need to commit their
lives to Jesus. They are “good people” who go to church, pray, and have decent
morals. Yet all this is only part of being a subject of King Jesus. He rightly
demands not just people who are good, prayerful, and decent but people who are
begotten from above (Jn 3:3), new creations (2 Cor 5:17), and children of God
(Jn 1:12).
To be born again, be made new, and become children of our
heavenly Father, we must be baptized into King Jesus (Rm 6:3) and live that new
life by faith. This faith will be expressed in total commitment of our lives to
King Jesus.
Prayer: King
Jesus, thank You for the ultimate privilege of being Your subject. I give all
to You. “He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the
kingdom of His beloved Son. Through Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of
our sins.” —Col 1:13-14. All praise to You, Jesus, King of kings and Lord of
lords! All hail, King Jesus! Alleluia!
The personal action for
today: When I hear that Jesus is
Christ the King, what thoughts do I have? How can I profess my faith that Jesus
is King and Lord of my life? Can other people recognize that I claim Jesus as
my Lord and King? What can I do to hasten the coming of the Reign of GOD in the
lives of myself and others?
*Solemnity of Christ the King:
The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an
antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking
and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is
intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over
individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.
The titles for Christ's royalty over men: 1) Christ is God,
the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things;
"All things were created by Him"; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He
purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3)
Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 4)
God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and
dominion.
The qualities of Christ's kingdom. This kingdom is: 1)
supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings;
2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places; 3) eternal, for
"The Lord shall sit a King forever"; 4) spiritual, Christ's
"kingdom is not of this world". — Rt. Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Gandas
The liturgy is an album in which every epoch of Church
history immortalizes itself. Therein, accordingly, can be found the various
pictures of Christ beloved during succeeding centuries. In its pages we see
pictures of Jesus suffering and in agony; we see pictures of His Sacred Heart;
yet these pictures are not proper to the nature of the liturgy as such; they
resemble baroque altars in a gothic church. Classic liturgy knows but one
Christ: the King, radiant, majestic, and divine.
With an ever-growing desire, all Advent awaits the
"coming King"; in the chants of the breviary we find repeated again
and again the two expressions "King" and "is coming." On
Christmas the Church would greet, not the Child of Bethlehem, but the Rex
Pacificus —"the King of peace gloriously reigning." Within a
fortnight, there follows a feast which belongs to the greatest of the feasts of
the Church year -- the Epiphany. As in ancient times oriental monarchs visited
their principalities (theophany), so the divine King appears in His city, the
Church; from its sacred precincts He casts His glance over all the world....On
the final feast of the Christmas cycle, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, holy Church meets her royal Bridegroom with virginal love: "Adorn
your bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ your King!" The burden of
the Christmas cycle may be summed up in these words: Christ the King
establishes His Kingdom of light upon earth!
If we now consider the Easter cycle, the luster of Christ's
royal dignity is indeed somewhat veiled by His sufferings; nevertheless, it is
not the suffering Jesus who is present to the eyes of the Church as much as
Christ the royal Hero and Warrior who upon the battlefield of Golgotha
struggles with the mighty and dies in triumph. Even during Lent and Passiontide
the Church acclaims her King. The act of homage on Palm Sunday is intensely
stirring; singing psalms in festal procession we accompany our Savior singing:
Gloria, laus et honor tibi sit, Rex Christe, "Glory, praise and honor be
to Thee, Christ, O King!" It is true that on Good Friday the Church
meditates upon the Man of Sorrows in agony upon the Cross, but at the same
time, and perhaps more so, she beholds Him as King upon a royal throne. The
hymn Vexilla Regis, "The royal banners forward go," is the more
perfect expression of the spirit from which the Good Friday liturgy has arisen.
Also characteristic is the verse from Psalm 95, Dicite in gentibus quia Dominus
regnavit, to which the early Christians always added, a ligno, "Proclaim
among the Gentiles: the Lord reigns from upon the tree of the Cross!"
During Paschal time the Church is so occupied with her glorified Savior and
Conqueror that kingship references become rarer; nevertheless, toward the end
of the season we celebrate our King's triumph after completing the work of
redemption, His royal enthronement on Ascension Thursday.
Neither in the time after Pentecost is the picture of Christ
as King wholly absent from the liturgy. Corpus Christi is a royal festival:
"Christ the King who rules the nations, come, let us adore" (Invit.).
In the Greek Church the feast of the Transfiguration is the principal solemnity
in honor of Christ's kingship, Summum Regem gloriae Christum adoremus (Invit.).
Finally at the sunset of the ecclesiastical year, the Church awaits with
burning desire the return of the King of Majesty.
We will overlook further considerations in favor of a glance
at the daily Offices. How often do we not begin Matins with an act of royal
homage: "The King of apostles, of martyrs, of confessors, of virgins —
come, let us adore" (Invit.). Lauds is often introduced with Dominus
regnavit, "The Lord is King". Christ as King is also a first
consideration at the threshold of each day; for morning after morning we renew
our oath of fidelity at Prime: "To the King of ages be honor and glory."
Every oration is concluded through our Mediator Christ Jesus "who lives
and reigns forever." Yes, age-old liturgy beholds Christ reigning as King
in His basilica (etym.: "the king's house"), upon the altar as His
throne.
