Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and it is a feast we celebrate at the end of each liturgical year. Instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, one of its aims is to reaffirm our belief that Christ is King and rules over all things for all time. Worldly things and worldly governments rise and fall, but Christ is now and forever.
Our first reading from the prophet Daniel and the second reading from the Book of Revelation share an apocalyptic vision of the Son of Man coming on the clouds to rule over all. Yet we see in John’s Gospel that Jesus is already king. He has come to establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth. When Pilate asks Jesus about being King, he does not answer Pilate’s question directly but tells him that his kingdom does not belong to this world and that he came into the world to testify to the truth.
The whole of John’s Gospel is set up with a highly theological structure, filled with narratives. In it, we learn Jesus’ birth was a descent from heaven. He came from God, and God is the source of his authority. God revealed himself through Jesus’ earthly ministry and especially through his death and resurrection. Those who hear Jesus’ voice are his disciples. To understand the truth, we must also be born from above. When we are baptized, we receive new life in Christ. We are freed from sin and reborn as members of his kingdom, priests for his God and Father.
Jesus often refers to himself as the Son of Man. He is the One in and through whom God’s people are saved. We no longer hope for a future messianic kingdom, because in Jesus these hopes have been realized. If we believe in the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, then eternal life is now and will continue to be available to us. This is our goal and our hope. This is the truth to which Jesus bears witness and calls us to bear witness with him.
Jesus is truly King of the Universe, both now and forever. So how do we participate in it, as the prophet Daniel says, that all peoples, nations, and languages [will] serve him? To answer this question, we must look at our own lives.
Paragraph 36 of the dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, sheds light on how the laity are called to share in Christ’s royal office. All disciples are called to “conquer the reign of sin in themselves” and “[serve] Christ in their fellow men [and women].” The lay faithful are called to use their skills and training, which are elevated by the grace received at baptism, to perfect created goods by their labor according to God’s design. They are also called to distribute the world’s goods more equitably and bring culture in line with moral values.
Each of us is called to bear witness to the truth in our own sphere, whether it be in the Church or in the world. Christ the King reigns over all the earth, both now and forever. May we live out our baptismal call to make his reign known.
(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Nov. 24, 2024)
