The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Catechism Links [1]

CCC 440, 446-451, 668-672, 783, 786, 908, 2105, 2628: Christ as Lord and King
CCC 678-679, 1001, 1038-1041: Christ as Judge
CCC 2816-2821: “Thy Kingdom Come”
 

“Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns, Supported by Angels”
by Annibale Carracci, 1585-87

Readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Daniel 7:13-14
 
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
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Commentary on Dn 7:13-14
 
An important element of this reading is the use of the title “Son of Man.” Jesus later used it and it was the most common way he referred to himself. This vision by Daniel was the scriptural link used by Jesus to explain his role in salvation; “the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.” (In addition to John 1:51, see also Mark 14:62, Luke 22:69 and Matthew 26:64 all of which reference the attendance of heavenly powers.)
 
CCC: Dn 7:13 440; Dn 7:14 664
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5
 
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
 
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
 
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
 
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
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Commentary on Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
 
Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise commemorating Yahweh as king. The external revelation of God mentioned in Sirach 1:1-10 is celebrated in this song of praise. The image of God’s throne on high, repeated here, reinforces God’s omnipotence.
 
“'The Lord is king': literally, 'the Lord reigns.' This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.” [5]
 
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Reading II: Revelation 1:5-8
 
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever.  Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes.  Amen.
 
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."
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Commentary on Rv 1:5-8
 
This vision of St. John of the return of Jesus as King is very straightforward. One of the more significant verses is: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.'" Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These words are used again later in Revelation (Revelation 22:13) and were predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4), a clear reference to Christ’s Kingship.
 
CCC: Rv 1:6 1546, 2855; Rv 1:8 2854
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Gospel: John 18:33b-37
 
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
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Commentary on Jn 18:33b-37
 
In St. John’s description of the interrogation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate, we hear Jesus’ reluctant admission of his kingship. He clarifies that he is not a threat to civil authority, something about which Pilate would have been most worried. If Jesus was attempting to usurp authority from Caesar the act was treason. His statement: “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” changes the character of the Lord’s kingdom from a physical monarchy to one of spiritual rule.
 
"Those who expected the Messiah to have visible temporal power were mistaken. ‘The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' (Romans 14:17). Truth and justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is the kingdom of Christ: the divine activity which saves men and which will reach its culmination when history ends and the Lord comes from the heights of paradise finally to judge men." [6]
 
CCC: Rv 1:6 1546, 2855; Rv 1:8 2854
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Reflection:
 
A Tale of Two Natures
 
As we come together to celebrate in solemn worship the Feast of Christ the King we hear the words of the Savior as he spoke to Pilate "My kingdom does not belong to this world.”  What must Pontius Pilate have thought?  Jesus did not say “My kingdom is not of this region or geography.”  When we were children and the notion of Heaven as a physical place was more easily understood, we might have assumed that Jesus was speaking of the Heavenly Kingdom where God the Father sits on the High Throne.  But here is another answer; one that existed in Jesus’ time and one that exists in our time, eternal, where Jesus rules.
 
The kingdom Jesus speaks about is not of this world.  As Origen says, it is not even for us to see and say there it is, or here it is.  This Kingdom of God is a place in our hearts where the Lord must rule absolutely.  It is the paradise of peace and love that comes to the surface only when we are truly at one with the Lord.  It manifests itself as seen in some of the saints, who seem to glow with an inner light. They are infused with the Kingdom of God that has completely conquered the death of sin and lights every corner of their being.
 
In each of us there is this “Kingdom of God.”  It is the place where the Lord rules and has being.  It exists, however, in a constant state of tension.  At its borders is another region.  This one is dominated by our natural selves; it is where love is not found – not real love, not the love that gives and grows like the love we find in Christ.  Although it is called “love” it is not really love at all but selfishness redefined.  It is in this dark region that the death of sin finds roots and, like a weed, tries to crowd out the Kingdom of God.
 
There is another kingdom in which Christ reigns, the kingdom of heaven.  It is also “not of this world” but one where we strive to be.  Building the internal Kingdom of God puts us on a path to reside eternally in this other kingdom.  It is where the Lord’s heavenly throne is established for all time.  It is the place where there is no pain, no sorrow, but only ceaseless joy for those who dwell in God’s presence.
 
Today we reinforce the Kingdom of God and attempt, through our prayers, to expand its borders to contain all we are.  Today we feed ourselves with Christ’s very essence so that the Kingdom within us may reign completely in our lives and bring light and life to all we meet.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns, Supported by Angels” by Annibale Carracci, 1585-87.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] NAB footnote on Ps 93.
[6] St. J. Escriva, "Christ is Passing By" p.180.