The solemnity of Christ the King closes or wraps up the liturgical seasons of the Church. Next Sunday, we enter into a new liturgical year on the first Sunday of Advent. It is not a
coincidence that as we end the liturgical year, we fix our eyes on Jesus enthroned in the fullness of his glory and majesty. It signifies that when everything is said and done here in this world, we hope to share in the glory of the Kingdom of God. This feast tells us that our journey, just like the shape of the liturgical calendar of the Church, must finds its completion or end in the Kingdom of God, where all of us became heirs when we were baptized. This is our greatest inheritance: to share in the very life of God.
This feast offers great hope for all of us. It is the hope that indeed the glory of God has the final word at the very end. What does this mean for you and me? This feast assures us that there is so much more than what we have in this world; there is much more to anticipate in the future beyond what we can ever imagine. It provides the hope that despite our struggles, whether it be suffering from illness, sadness and anger because of a failed marriage, addiction, strained family relationships and so on, the fullness of God’s glory awaits us in the end. This is what Christian hope is all about. Hope is not the conviction that something will always turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. It is the conviction that all that we live for, happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, will be found to have some sense. Crucifixion only made sense because of the resurrection – and, resurrection means that the Kingdom of God triumphs in the end.
In Jesus, we see that God did not just sustain us from afar, like a distant king or monarch, unreachable by the people but, rather, God left, if we may say, the comfort of his kingdom in heaven to share in our frail humanity. And, thus, in this sharing of our humanity, we are transformed anew into worthy citizens of God’s kingdom. As I reflect on this, I often ask myself and have posed this question a number of times: Why did God have to send his Son to be crucified on the cross to redeem us? As God, he could have saved us in a different way without even a shed of blood. Jesus could have spared himself from all the wicked people asking for his head. Yet, he chose to humble himself, to suffer the ultimate form of humiliation, by dying on the cross. Quite different from the world’s concept of a king, a very radical form of power that is totally unacceptable to the secular world. Christ did not live his kingship in magnificent palaces, adorned with pomp and luxury. His palace was the streets of Jerusalem where the poor, the sick, the disabled, the widows were found. His throne was not of gold, which is usually the symbol of power and authority, but rather, his throne was the cross, his seat of power – the seat of love and shocking generosity. Christ’s kingship and throne on the cross are the greatest acts of God’s mercy. In the person of Christ the King, the world’s understanding of power and
authority was turned up side down.
In our world, where power and authority seem to be rather destructive rather than life-giving, the Gospel offers us a fresh message of hope and a new direction. We have seen in history how power can be used to destroy rather than to uplift people. In our own lives, we too exercise a fair amount of power and authority, whether it is in our families or at work or probably in our community. If these things are not applicable to us, then we have authority and power over our selves. We have control on how we lead our own lives. How do we make use of that authority? Do we exercise our power and authority to serve others and to promote the good of all, or do we allow our selfish desires and personal agenda to dominate our sense of our responsibility?
In the way we exercise our authority, whether it be over other people or our own selves, and the kind of discipleship that we lead, we would also know to what or whose kingdom we belong. Reflecting on our choices and the lifestyle that we embrace, can we say that we belong to God’s kingdom? – Fr. Cary