JESUS CHRIST, THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE
1. A King Unlike Any Other
2. A King on the Throne of the Cross
Introduction
1. A King Unlike Any Other
Kings stand for power, riches, splendor. On today’s feast of Christ the King what kind of king is shown us? A man wearing a crown of thorns, in a purple mantle to mock him as a fake king, and standing as an accused criminal before Pilate who represents the world’s power. Where is true power to be found? It is in the truth of the power of God’s love to which Jesus came to testify by going all the way of serving love. God loves us totally in his Son Jesus. This is why Jesus is our Lord and King.
2. A King On The Throne Of The Cross
Jesus hung on the cross, dying. Next to him there was one of the two criminals also dying with Jesus. One of the strangest dialogues ever took place here. The bandit, struck by Jesus’ serenity, said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus answered, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” A condemned man dying on a cross for a seemingly lost cause promises a kingdom and a paradise of happiness! This states strongly what kind of king we celebrate today: Christ, the king not of power but of truth and love and peace.
First Reading: Son of Man and Eternal King
In the vision of Daniel, a “son of man” will bring people together in his kingdom. This “son of man” will be no one else than Jesus.
1 Reading 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.
Responsorial 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.
Second Reading: All Glory and Power to Christ
We are called to share in Christ’s victory over death and evil and to lead all people and the whole world to worship God.
2 Reading 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.”
Alleluia Mark 11:9, 10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: My Kingdom Is Not of This World
Jesus acknowledges before Pilate that he is king. But his kingdom is not based on violence. It is the kingdom of those who freely accept the truth and the life of Christ.
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.”
Commentary
“Yes, I am a king,” said Jesus. So…can you see him sitting there displaying himself beside, for example, King Herod the Great (one of the most vicious men who ever lived)? No, no. He was parodying the very idea of kingship. When he said “Yes, I am a king!” he was a prisoner standing before Pilate’s judgment seat! “What is truth?” Pilate asked him, but got no answer. (Matthew and Mark say that Jesus was silent before Pilate, and Luke says he was silent before Herod.) How could anyone hear an answer to such a question while sitting on a throne of judgment? When you are sitting on your throne of judgment don’t expect to come across any truths. I ask myself if the atmosphere in my own mind isn’t sometimes like the atmosphere in Pilate’s judgment chamber? Cold, shallow, judgmental, merely tactical. The real King, the Lord, is the accused, not the accuser. But his judgment throne is here. How will you stand before him?
Blessing
Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.
May the Good News of the Kingdom spread
and enrich all peoples and cultures
everywhere over the wide world. R/ Amen.
May the kingdom of Christ grow among us
as a kingdom of justice, love and peace. R/ Amen.
May the light of Christ’s truth enlighten all
and his serving love be alive in us all. R/ Amen.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in the name of Christ.
R/ Thanks be to God.