2024/11/24 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
- Max Wink, Asst Mgr of Events & Ministry Engagements
When you think of a king, who comes to mind?
Do you think of a heroic king from a fantasy story, like Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings? Maybe instead it’s an English monarch that comes to mind, whether it be the current king, Charles III, or a tyrannical king like George III. Or maybe you think of the Israelite kings of the Old Testament, David and Solomon and all the kings who came after them. What about Jesus?
If we put Jesus side-by-side with other kings, it’s clear that one of these things is not like the others. The man Jesus as we read about him in the Gospels doesn’t quite fit in with many of the powerful rulers we see throughout human history. Jesus lacks many of the earthly symbols of a king’s power. He has no golden crown, no giant throne, no castle or anything of the sort. Instead, Jesus lived a life of simplicity and humility that goes against all the traditional images of what a king looks like.
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus’ humility on full display. When Pontius Pilate asks Jesus if He is a king, He refuses to give Pilate a straight answer. He does not claim power for Himself. Instead, Jesus tells Pilate, “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” (John 18:37). Jesus calls others to listen to Him, as any king might, but He does so not for the sake of His own glory but for the sake of truth. Even as king, Jesus has a mission He lives in service of. While many earthly kings have acted in order to glorify themselves, Jesus shows that the true mark of kingship is self-sacrifice.
Nowhere is the union between Jesus’ kingship and self-sacrifice more apparent than in His Passion. While many kings sit upon a throne, Jesus instead mounts the cross. Jesus does wear a crown, but His is a crown of thorns, adding to the pain of His crucifixion. Though He made this sacrifice as an act of perfect humility, seeking not to glorify Himself but to save us, we respond to Christ’s sacrifice by giving Him glory. As today’s reading from Revelation says, “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” (Rev. 1:5-6). On account of the Passion and Resurrection, we know that God expresses His power through His love for humanity and all His creation.
More than that, we can have confidence that this loving King truly is king always. Unlike the power of earthly kings, which is limited to a specific place and lasts only for their lifetime, Christ’s power endures in all places and at all times. The Book of Daniel says, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). For this reason, we celebrate Christ today as the King of the Universe. As He says, He is the Alpha and the Omega. His love covers every moment of time, from the beginning of creation to its end. His love knows no borders, as He offers Himself to all people.
The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the end of the liturgical year, and it transitions us into the Advent season. The Advent and Christmas seasons remind us that what we celebrate today is not simply a nice idea. St. Oscar Romero once said, “With the birth of Christ the kingdom of God is inaugurated in human time.” Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, and yet He has chosen to make Himself a part of it. As we look forward to the coming of the infant Jesus at Christmas, may we find consolation in the knowledge that our loving King has become human like us, and may we be inspired to work alongside Christ to build His kingdom in our world.