The Solemnity Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King Of The Universe (Christ The King), Year B By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior

First Reading: Daniel 7: 13-14/ Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1ab.1d-2.5 (R. 1a) Second Reading: Revelations 1:5-8/Gospel Acclam.: Mark 11:9b.10a Gospel: John 18:33b-37

Theme: Christ-My-King-Rule-Over-Me-Now-And-Forever

A solemnity of very high degree deserves some form of historical perspective. What we celebrate today, the Solemnity of Christ the King, was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 through his encyclical letter, Quas Prima in response to growing nationalism and secularism after the first world war. In this era, non-Christian dictators especially in Europe rose and constituted the powers that be, and in particular, in the context of the unresolved Roman Question under the fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Elsewhere in Germany, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party was growing in power and influence. This was also a period during which the world was experiencing a great depression. With these undertones, many people began to doubt Christ’s authority and existence and the Church’s power to continue Christ’s work on earth. In effect, respect for Christ’s authority was waning in a world bent on self-destruction and turning towards itself. According to the Pope, “…evils in the world were due to the fact that majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives…And as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Saviour there will be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations…” Thus, the institution of this celebration aimed primarily at those abusing political power. In addition, it reminded rulers of countries, legislators and members of judicial and civil societies, and especially Christian leaders, to imbue in themselves the values of Jesus’ Kingdom such as faith, hope, love, humility, justice, peace, harmony, respect and service.

Originally, the solemnity was titled: “Our Lord Jesus Christ the King,” on the last Sunday of October which is a week prior to the Solemnity of All Saints. But in 1969, Pope Paul VI gave it a new title: “Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe” and a new date, which is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year – the Thirty-Fourth Sunday in ordinary time. It is a solemnity celebrated not only by Catholics, but also, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and others. The eschatological significance of this new date is that, it puts emphasis on the fact that in the final analysis, at the end of everything, it is Christ who matters, who rules and who judges.

Turning to the readings, we hear in the first reading, that the Son of Man, Jesus, was given an everlasting dominion, glory and kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him, and that this kingdom shall never pass away nor be destroyed (cf. Dan. 7:13-14). This point of everlasting dominion is re-echoed in the second reading. Herein lies the big difference, that, all human kingdoms and spiritual realities have their limits, their expiry dates. Only the kingdom of Christ will last forever, and those who believe in Christ are members of this kingdom. In view of this, the Responsorial Psalm reiterates: “Your throne stands forever; from all eternity you are” (Ps. 93:2). No wonder St. Paul acknowledges this fact when he claims that by his death and resurrection, Christ has the ultimate authority, so that, at the mention of his name, all knee bows, and every tongue proclaims that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (cf. Phil. 2:10-11).

The term kingdom as used in this context must be understood as reign, and so applied to Christ, it is the exercise of sovereignty, not over a limited defined geographical territory, but over everything visible and invisible, the universe and all it contains. Furthermore, the exercise of sovereignty by Christ is different from how we as human beings understand it. Whereas we think of it as power, authority, glory and triumph, for Jesus, it really means service. Consequently, the second reading, gives us the following four characteristics of the reign of Christ:

1. Christ is the Faithful Witness, a terminology re-emphasised in the Gospel where Jesus says he comes to bear witness. To what does he bear witness, one may ask? He is at the service of the truth. He bears witness to the truth which is God, the truth which will set us free; the truth that God is love and he loves us and he sends his only begotten Son to die for our sins. This man Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life that leads us to God the Father (cf. Jn. 14:6). Jesus is the only authentic witness to God such that, when we see Jesus, we see God. Consequently, he is the visible image of the invisible God.

2. Christ is the First-Born from the dead. Lazarus and others died, were resuscitated and died again. For Jesus, he is the first to die and rise to life never to die again. By this, he has complete power over both life and death, and we as the princes and princesses of his kingdom, have inheritance of life after death if we truly surrender our lives to him.

3. Christ is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. This title depicts the Messiah-Christos (The Anointed One), which is in fulfilment of the prophecy in Psalm 89:27, which says, “I will make him the first born, the highest of the kings of the earth.” Also, Proverbs 21:1 says, “The heart of the king is like running water in the hands of the Lord; he directs it wherever he wishes.” Indeed, true power is in the hands of Christ; all else is nothing!

4. Christ is the Alpha and Omega. In the Greek alphabets, Alpha (α) is the first and Omega (ω), the last. Therefore, to apply this nomenclature to Christ means he is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End and infinitely superior. It is about completeness, totality, the whole of reality – visible and invisible, and that Christ has absolute power over all in heaven, on earth and the underworld. Everything begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

It is from the aforementioned that in today’s Gospel, Jesus is cross-examined by the lawyers and Pontius Pilate. Pilate thought he was “grilling” Jesus with his direct questions about whether or not Jesus was really a king. Jesus’ answer to Pilate was in itself a question too. Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world; it is a different kingdom, it is not about political messiahship, but a spiritual one. The Jews had expected an anointed person who will deliver them from the hands of the Romans. However, Jesus came as one who frees humanity from everything that enslaves it summarily called sin and its guilt. His kingdom is about service – servant leadership – not about lording it over others by making people suffer the brunt of power and authority; and all who follow him must make selfless service their identity or hallmark.

So, what does today’s celebration want us to learn and do? Let us try to answer the following question. Do two kings sit on the same throne; palanquin? Certainly not! In the same vein, no two masters can rule our lives at the same time. Is it Christ or Satan who controls us? For many Christians, we only seek Christ when everything seems to go bad. However, when good times come, we tend to forget about him. No authentic relationship can be like that! We should not make Christ rule over certain aspects of our lives while we keep others under our own control. We have to allow him to be in charge of our lives, plans, sexuality, marriages, families, health, finances, education, businesses, the society and the world. We cannot surrender some but all to him if we want to see God’s glory. Christ demands our all. Remember, Psalm 16:4 says “Those who choose other gods, increase their sorrows.” If our lives are like a car, then for Jesus to rule us, we must hand over our car key for him to drive us. Again, just as kings and queens live in palaces, so also should we dispose our hearts for Christ to dwell there now and always.

Furthermore, we must surrender our minds (which are the main battle grounds), our wills (which are always at odds with the will of God), our hearts (which always deceive us, cf. Jer. 17:9) and our bodies (which always war against our spirit). That the faithful may gain strength and courage from the Solemnity, Pope Pius XI mentions: “If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls…” (Pope Pius XI, Quas Prima, no. 33).

Beloved in Christ, many things seek to control our lives for the worse: money, sex, anger, hatred, power, fear, pride, smart phone, internet, alcohol, narcotics, etc. Sin, in control of our lives, not only ruins us but also severs our spiritual umbilical cord from God. There is a story of a former addict who with very good intentions and promising future made efforts to stop doing drugs. Initially, he found it tough, but with total surrender to Christ and obedience to his commands in addition to support from clinical psychologists, he has broken away freely from the bondage he found extremely difficult to break. This is amazing grace! This is what Christ does for us: he saves us from sin and weakness, and makes us conquerors enveloped in his own power and strength. Today, let go and let Christ! If we allow Christ to rule us, to be the Lord, Master and Saviour of our lives and decisions, he will conquer all that are inimical to our lives; and we will reign with him forever. As we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, may he take absolute possession of us and make us better. Happy Sunday and may God richly bless us! Remember to pray: #Christ-My-King-Rule-Over-Me-Now-And-Forever#