Thy Kingdom come!

Today’s Gospel manifests the reality of Jesus’ Kingship, and this theme is deeply rooted in both the Old and New Testaments. It is enough to remember that, during His interrogation by Pilate, Jesus declared: “Yes, I am a king, but not of this world”. Furthermore, the very word Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which evokes the ancient tradition of anointing, to signify the anointing of the Spirit of the Lord. Today’s Gospel portrays “the parousia — end of time” context that characterizes the last Sundays of Ordinary Time. Moreover, we are presented with a Kingdom that expresses true militancy in freedom, order, tranquillity, harmony and peace amongst men and women of goodwill.

We are given a kingship that may be, for some, difficult to digest because it is revealed to the world from the Cross rather than through political rule. Today, the kingship of Jesus can be hard to see for the very same reasons. Jesus claims that He does have a kingdom, but one completely different from those of the world. His kingdom does not depend at all on the power, weapons, wars, or money of the world. It is a kingdom that has its beginnings in heaven and not on earth and is therefore much more glorious and unfathomable.

We can now see more clearly that the glorified Lord in this feast of Christ the King is the point of convergence not only of the entire Liturgical Year, but also of our entire earthly pilgrimage: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” (Heb 13:8), “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev 22:13). Thus, on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the figure of Christ emerges. He is the King of Glory, the beginning and end of human history, the point of convergence of the desires of History and Civilization, the centre of humanity, the joy of every heart and the total fullness of all its desires. Vivid and gathered in His Spirit, we walk as pilgrims towards the consummation of human history, which coincides perfectly with His plan of Love: “to gather together under one head, Christ, all things, those in heaven and those on earth” (Eph 1:10). In this celebration, the words of Jesus to Pilate are taken into special consideration: “Yes, I am a king, but not of this world”.

It is a kingdom not established for personal gain, but for the well-being of others, for the vicarious love of our brothers and sisters in need. This is the kind of kingdom and leadership our world desperately needs today.

As we honour Christ the King, let us gladly surrender our lives to His loving government. Let Him be the King of our hearts, leading us in acts of kindness, compassion and love. It seems appropriate to call to mind the words of Pope Francis on the World Day of the Poor: “prepare for the celebration of the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who identified with the little ones and the poor and who will judge us on our works of mercy (cf. Mt 25:31-46)... a day to help communities and each of the baptized to reflect on how poverty is at the very heart of the Gospel” (Apostolic Letter Misericordia et Misera, 20 November 2017).

Christ is King, not only of the universe, but also of our hearts and our homes. He is a just King, but He is also loving and merciful and will be with us until the end of time. Jesus is the King who came to save us from our sins. This feast was instituted and proclaimed by the Pope to reaffirm the sovereignty of Christ and the Church over all forms of government and to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty we owe to Christ, who by His Incarnation and sacrificial death on the Cross has made us adopted children of God. In fact, whilst governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever.

Please allow me to share part of a homily I heard many years ago in an East End Church in Bow in London from a wise priest, Fr Brown, to wit, who captivated his congregation with a very simple analogy. He compared the Kingdom to a deck of playing cards, clubs: His Kingdom on earth is an all-embracing universal club, diamonds: His Kingdom is precious and lasts forever, Spades, we must work hard for His Kingdom, and finally Hearts: for His Kingdom is a Kingdom of love. I have never forgotten this humble yet poignant homily; simple and understandable to all present that Sunday evening some forty years ago. I doubt you will now forget either.

*  Custody of the Holy Land

By Fr Luke Gregory, ofm*