Reading I
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
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.
Gospel
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."
Reflection
On this Solemnity of Christ the King, we ponder the glorious rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our first reading from Daniel prophesies the Son of Man coming on a cloud with dominion and kingship that “shall not be destroyed.” Our psalm exalts the Lord, robed in majesty. The reading from Revelation calls Him a “ruler of kings.” These words evoke in us a holy fear and awe of our all-powerful God.
Initially, our Gospel passage seems to pose a jarring contrast to the other readings. Our Lord, captured and alone, says: “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.” What heartbreaking words to hear from Our Lord! We can consider how our sinfulness hurts Jesus and undermines His kingship. We left Jesus alone before Pilate, and we continue to do so every time we choose our own will and false authority instead of His.
Even so, these words from Jesus also invite us to consider how they complement the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. Christ’s statement is not simply a testimony to the lack of support for Jesus in the world, but rather, they are the truest indicator of the magnitude of His glory.
The one thing that happens to everyone, the one thing that everyone in the world is powerless to stop, is death. And Jesus, through His self-sacrifice and willingness to take on our sins, defeated death. By dying devoid of an earthly Kingdom, Jesus becomes the ultimate ruler of judgement, death, and eternal life. Christ is a King of humility and sacrifice, and paradoxically, it is that humble sacrifice which instills His authority over all the earth.
We can participate in Christ’s universal Kingship and manifest His Heavenly Kingdom in our world to the extent that we imitate Him. Let us serve our brothers and sisters in self-giving love on this Christ the King Sunday and every day following, for that is the greatest honor we can pay to our perfect Ruler, the best way we can build up His Kingdom.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
Copy Permalink
