The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe, is no ordinary celebration. Not only is it celebrated at the culmination of the liturgical year, but it also prepares the way for the new liturgical year. Even more significantly, it crowns Christ as the king of the universe. But the gospel reading for this feast is in stark contrast to the grandeur and solemnity that such a celebration calls for. It recalls one of the most vulnerable moments of Christ’s life – him lying helplessly on the cross while the rulers jeer him, the soldiers sneer at him, and even a condemned criminal reviles him. Surely the church could do better! What is in the Church’s mind as it proposes this scripture? How does the Church understand the kingship of Christ? Perhaps, in proposing the gospel reading she does, the Church is creating a model for her presence in the world.
Redefining Kingdom and Kingship
During his lifetime, Jesus did not exhibit any of the royal traits associated with the royal house of David. Jesus did not attempt to reclaim the military glory of the Davidic times. Neither did he confront the Romans, nor did he instigate Herod. He never claimed a throne, he never touched a sword, and he never ruled over a people. Moreover, Jesus’ message, the disciples he chose, the company he kept, and most of all his ignominious death made it impossible to believe that he was the long-expected messiah. In fact, from Israel’s perspective, he was an utter failure. As one of the criminals revilingly said, “Are you not the Christ?” (Lk 23:39). This is the Christ who today the church honors as Universal King!
We can be like the Israel of Jesus’ times. All too often we are tempted to associate Christ with the temporal trappings of power, wealth, fame, and glory. I said earlier that perhaps the Church proposes the gospel reading she does, because it is a model for her mission in the world.
If this is true, then the feast of Christ the Universal King is not an invitation to reflect on the idea of kingship itself, but rather, an invitation to imitate the life, the message, and the ministry of Christ. Unlike the rulers of this world, his kingship does not carry the trappings of power, wealth, fame and glory. His kingship is most expressed through love, mercy, goodness, tenderness, service, and most of all, total self-sacrifice. It is the feast of a king who never was a king.
The Reign of God
There is another way in which I find the gospel reading intriguing. In the first half of the Gospel, Jesus is hanging on the cross. The scene recounts his most vulnerable moment. The rulers sneered at him and the soldiers jeered at him. But Jesus remained silent. This changes in the second half of the reading. Jesus is still hanging on the cross and the criminals crucified along with him come into focus. One of them reviled Jesus. Jesus still remains silent. And then repentant criminal says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). At this, Jesus broke his silence. In his most vulnerable moment, Jesus did what he had done all his life – opened Paradise to sinners and . At that moment, on a bloody Calvary, on a gruesome cross, the kingdom of God was operative.
How easy it is for us to find God in the opulent, the glorious, the magnificent, the luxurious, the beautiful! But in his life, that is not where Christ was to be found. He was found outside the city, hanging from a cross, naked, bruised, and bloody, being reviled by the powerful. God was found in the most unlikely of places reconciling humanity to Paradise.
As the Church honors Christ, King of the Universe, the Church must be found where Christ was found. Each one of us is invited to work alongside Jesus in bringing about the reign of God, not of our own making, but the one that Jesus revealed.
The People of the Reign of God
Today, the Church honors Christ as universal king. The honor we offer must be worthy of the king! Let me offer you a perspective. While the rulers jeered Jesus, the soldiers sneered at him, and one of the criminals reviled him, one person stood apart – the repentant criminal. He did not join in the mockery. He had the choice to remain silent, but he did not. Rather, he took a stance. He spoke up and defended Jesus saying, “This man has done nothing criminal” (Lk 23:41). In a very vulnerable state, he showed solidarity with a suffering man and even recognized that the reign of God was at play. In humility and in true sorrow he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” In the end, among all the people in the scene, he was the one welcomed into Paradise.
I believe this gospel reading is proposed for today’s feast because it has implications – for the Church, for the world, and for every one of us. If we are welcomed into God’s reign, it will not be because we wield power, possess wealth, or carry influence. If we find ourselves in the reign of God it will be because, like the repentant criminal, have been humble, repentant, and recognized our helplessness; it will be because we show love, mercy, goodness, tenderness, and peace; it will be because we have defended the righteous and stood up against inhumanity; it will be because we took a stance against injustice and spoke up rather than remain silent; it will be because we have recognized the King who never was a king.
Christ chose the ugliness of the cross, the suffering of the innocent, the struggle of the righteous, and the broken heartedness of the sinner to reveal his kingship. Today, in this Eucharist, Christ once again embraces the broken - the broken wheat, the broken bread, a broken people! This is our King. We are his people! To him we owe our life and our salvation. To him we offer him homage!
- Fr. Satish Joseph