Here we are, the end of the Church liturgical year where we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Next week we begin the new Church year with the extraordinary season of Advent. But as we come to the end of the Church year, what does it signify for us?
First, a king. What image does that word conjure in your mind? Perhaps a man in a gilded palace, surrounded by guards, issuing decrees that shape the fate of nations. A figure of immense power, insulated from the struggles of the common person. And then we come to this day, this solemnity, and we are presented with a king who could no be more different. We celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
And the Church, in her divine wisdom, does not give us a Gospel reading from the Resurrection, the Transfiguration, or even the Ascension. No, she gives us the Passion. She gives us Pilate’s praetorium and the hill of Golgotha. She gives us a king crowned with thorns, enthroned on a cross, whose royal decree is a word of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
This is the paradox of the heart of our faith. The one we hail as King of the Universe reveals his kingship not in dominating, but serving; not in taking life, but in giving his own away. In the Gospel, Pilate asks the question that echoes through the ages: “What is truth?” He stands before Truth Incarnate, unable to recognize it because it doesn’t look like the power he understands. Jesus responds, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” He doesn’t say he has no interest in this world … far from it. He says his power, his authority, operates on a different level. It is not the power of the sword, but the power of love; not the authority of fear, but the authority of truth.
We live in a world saturated with power. The power of algorithms that shape our thoughts, the power of wealth that builds empires, the power of armies that go to war, the power of social media mobs that can hurt and/or destroy someone’s reputation in an hour. It is the power that is often loud, coercive, and impatient.
And into this noise, Christ the King stands silently, his hands bound. His power is the opposite. It is the power of the Crucified One. It is the power of a love that absorbs hatred and returns forgiveness. It is the power of a truth that does not need to scream to be valid. In a culture that values “winning”, our King shows us that true victory looks like laying down your life for your friends.
Look at the scene at the foot of the Cross. A Roman centurion, a symbol of imperial power, stands beside the grieving women and the beloved disciple, John. At the moment of Christ’s death, the very temple veil, a symbol of the separation between God and humanity, is torn in two. The King of the Universe, in his moment of ultimate weakness, is breaking down the walls of division. Our world is fractured by politics, ideology, by race, by class. We are encouraged to build walls, to see the “other” as a threat. Christ’s Kingship calls us to a different citizenship. His Kingdom transcends every border, every human label. It is a kingdom not of “us versus them”, but of “we” reconciled in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shephard. Our call is not to conquer those who disagree with us, but to love them, to serve them, and in doing so, to witness to the reconciling power of our King.
So where do we find this Kingdom? It is wherever truth is spoken in love. It is wherever mercy is offered instead of retribution. It is wherever the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, and the lonely are visited. It is in the quiet of being before the tabernacle, where the King of Glory is present. It is in the confessional, where his royal authority washes away our sins. On this great solemnity, we are not just celebrating a theological idea. We are renewing our allegiance. We are saying, in a world with many false kings promising many false salvations, our loyalty is to the one who reigns from the Cross. Let us continue to build his kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace. For His is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us ~ Blessings,
Fr. Ryan