Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
(II Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43)
This year marks the centennial celebration of Christ the
King as a universal solemnity. Pope Pius XI established this feast in 1925 for
two reasons: to give thanks for the end of the First World War and to
acknowledge the fall of four European monarchies. The celebration teaches us
that kings and all rulers have legitimacy only insofar as their governance
conforms to the Kingdom of Christ. We recall here the words of Saint Thomas
More, English chancellor and martyr, who declared before his execution: “I am
the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
To appreciate the solemnity of Christ the King, we should
turn to the opening chapters of Genesis. God reigned over all creation, which
He Himself had made. Yet when He created human beings, He entrusted to them
dominion over the earth and the sea. He told them: “… fill the earth and subdue
it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every
living thing that moves upon the earth.” Man and woman lived in peace with God
for a time but soon fell under sin’s influence. Attempting to make themselves
equal to God, the woman first and then the man ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By this act of defiance they effectively handed over sovereignty of the
world to the devil or, better, sin. From that moment, it became God’s plan to
reclaim His kingship by sending His Son. Christ would conquer evil to restore
peace between God and humanity. His victory would reestablish the proper order:
Jesus would reign as sovereign, and human beings would again exercise authority
over the earth. The story of Christ the King is the story of our salvation.
Let us look at today’s readings to understand more clearly
how Christ is King. The first reading describes the ceremony by which David was
anointed king over all Israel. He had already been anointed king of Judah, his
own tribe, and now he is recognized by the northern tribes as well. In time he
will be regarded as the greatest king in Israel’s history. He conquered a vast
territory stretching from Egypt to the Euphrates, and he enjoyed a strong
relationship with the Lord. Yet David was not the ideal king. He fell gravely into
sin by having an intimate relationship with another man’s wife and arranging
for that man’s death when the adultery resulted in pregnancy. He also conducted
a census of his kingdom in defiance of the Lord, and his many wars ended in the
deaths of countless men. Great as he was, David could not lead humanity to live
fully according to God’s will.
But David’s descendant—Jesus of Nazareth—perfected the
kingship of his ancestor. Born of his lineage, Jesus was anointed, in his own
words, “to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a
year acceptable to the Lord.” He accomplished these goals without shedding the
blood of others. His way was to preach, to heal, and to die on the cross as an
innocent sacrifice. In today’s Gospel Jesus is proclaimed king -- ironically by
the inscription on the cross and by the words of the authorities, the soldiers,
and the unrepentant thief. Yet He is also recognized as King by the “good
thief,” who says, “Lord, when You come into Your kingdom, remember me.”
The second reading, from the Letter to the Colossians,
presents Christ’s achievement and his place in the order of the universe.
Through the shedding of His blood on the cross, Christ has redeemed humanity
from the darkness of sin. Now we live in the light of Christ and know peace
with God the Father. Moreover, Christ’s sacrifice subdued evil and reconciled
all things to God. For this reason, the Father bestowed upon him the fullness
of divinity, including the title “King of the Universe.” As members of his
Body, we once again participate in the stewardship of the earth.
We have reached the end of the liturgical year. By
proclaiming Jesus Christ as King of the Universe, we are reminded of the end of
time. We hold the confidence that, if we remain faithful to Him, the darkness
of sin will not overpower us again. On the contrary, united with Christ, we
shall reign with him forever.
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