The Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe

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Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93:1-2. 5. R/ v.1; Apocalypse 1:5-8; John 18:33-37.

“CHRIST THE ONE TRUE KING OF KINGS”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide.

·      The history of the world is replete with the rising and falling of kings and kingdoms; and the rising and falling of empires and emperors. The entire gamut of world history presents us with tales of enthronements and dethronements of individuals and groups with their transient powers. We are conversant with the Pharaohs of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon during the exilic experience of Daniel’s time. Down the path of history, we know of Alexander the Great whose reign was felt around the known world of his time, we know of Alfred the Great, Darius the Great, Charlemagne, Louis XIV, and others. Many empires rose and fell: The Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, and the Empires of France and Britain.

·      In modern history, we know of Haile Selassie (the 225th and last emperor of Ethiopia), Adolf Hitler (the Nazi machinery of the holocaust), and Idi Amin (the ruthless self-acclaimed field Marshal and president for life of Uganda). In contemporary history, we know of Saddam Hussein and Mubarak. The last from this era was Muammar Gaddafi who organized his crowning as king of kings of Africa. One common denominator is that all these kingdoms and their kings crumbled at some historical points.

·      Today, the church celebrates the universality of the kingship of Jesus, which stems from the fact that he as God is also the creator of the world and all that is in it. There is no room for comparison with other kings of this world both alive and dead. His greatness supersedes all that was, is, and will be.

·      Most earthly kings are mortals and creatures of God, and their reigns have beginnings and surely end. They are the king of a particular territory, and the functionality of their powers is limited to their territories.

·      The kingship and kingdom we celebrate today are eternal. His kingdom is boundless, and his powers are limitless.

·      Dear friends, Jesus became king for our sake. His kingship does not add anything to his dignity as God. Jesus became king to show us how to be kings and carry on with leadership positions. The kingship of Jesus is that of Sacrifice and self-emptying (Phil 2:6-11), unlike the kingdoms of this world, which are filled with selfishness, terror, oppression, etc. 

·      Today we are asked to choose what is important in our lives.  We are invited to choose Jesus Christ as the most important person in our life, as our Saviour, and as our Redeemer.  Lots of us choose Him but don’t do very much with our choice.  It can be a choice that transforms our lives or that we never put into effect in our daily lives.

·      The first reading is from the Book of Daniel.  This reading reflects the longing of our ancestors in the faith for a God who was present to them and who protected them and before whom, eventually, all nations and peoples would be present and accountable.  There are days when we might want such a God simply to enforce our ideals and values on the world.  The challenge for us is that we must represent God in the world and strive to bring about true values and human choices when our world seems to seek mostly power, pleasure, and economic means.

·      The second reading today is from the Book of Revelation.  This book is filled with images of the end times and God as the ruler of all.  In this passage today, we have almost a repeat of the Book of Daniel. But, instead of longing for this in the future, the Book of Revelation tells us that it is happening and will be complete soon.  You and I don’t see the hand of God and yet these authors insist that God is always at work in our world and arranging things according to His plans.  When this book states:  Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, the author is referring to Jesus.  Jesus is our king and the ruler of all.

·      The Gospel of John today immediately corrects our impressions that the rule of Jesus as Lord will be something triumphant in the human sense.  Rather, Jesus will rule from the Cross, Jesus will rule from overcoming death, and Jesus will rule because He has suffered for us.  This Gospel, and the others, break our ideas of what kind of rule the Kingdom of Heaven will be.

·      This God who loves us in Christ Jesus and who has made Him king of all shows us that those ruling others are serving them as slaves, as one who takes all their burdens on himself and who is willing to die for others.

·      As we go out to proclaim Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords, let us remember that this proclamation must surpass mere verbalization. It must resonate with our lives. The little and useless kingdoms in our world would all pass away; they are incomparable with the eternal Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ which should be our utmost concern and focus!

·      Happy Christ the King!

·      Happy Sunday!

 

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