SUNDAY
READINGS - Christ the King
FIRST READING: Daniel 7:13-14. I saw in the night visions, and behold
with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the
Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and
glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
EXPLANATION: These verses are part of some visions which Daniel had in
the night and for which he got the explanation next day (Dn. 7). There were
visions of the four kingdoms or empires whose rulers are described as beasts.
These kingdoms were those of Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece. Finally he saw the
worst of them all---the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes who tried to destroy the
Jewish religion. But the "Ancient of Days" stepped in and set up a new king and
a new kingdom. The kingdom was for all nations---for Gentiles as well as
Jews---and one that would be everlasting.
one...man: In Hebrew and Aramaic "a son of man" means a man, but here it signifies some man who is mysteriously more than man. That he was an individual is attested to by early Jewish apocryphal (Enoch and 2 Esdras), and rabbinical writings but especially by our Lord who applied this title to himself. At times, he used it to express his lowly state (Mt. 8: 20; 11: 19; 20: 28), at other times to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection (17: 19), of his return in glory (24: 30), and of his coming in judgement (25: 30). In this way, the title puts a veil over---and hinted at---the sort of Messiah Jesus was. His final explicit avowal before the Sanhedrin left no doubt as to the meaning for him of this title.
Ancient of Days: The rulers of the pagan kingdoms are described as beasts coming out of the abyss; the ruler of the eternal kingdom, however, is like a man and comes "with the clouds of heaven" that is, comes from God who is described as the Ancient of Days---he who was there before time began.
presented before him: After his resurrection, Christ appeared in glory at the throne of the Father, his mission on earth accomplished (see Jn. 17).
dominion...kingdom: He was then made king of the new universal, spiritual kingdom---the Church---which begins on earth but has its completion and perfection in heaven.
people...languages: All mankind was made subject to his rule.
everlasting...destroyed: Unlike all earthly kingdoms, the kingdom of Christ will last forever. On earth his Church will last until the last man has been saved: "the gates of hell will not prevail against it," and in heaven those who served him faithfully will have an unending kingdom of happiness. APPLICATION: Today's feastday was instituted as a rallying-call to all Christians to acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ our King over all earthly powers, kingdoms and peoples. This call was very necessary in an age when worldliness and earthly ambitions were drawing the minds of men further away from God and Christ, and from their own eternal interests. Our twentieth century has seen not only pagan countries denying the existence of God and a future life but nations that were once Christian have been forced to live under atheistic regimes which forbid the public practice of religion. It was to counteract and stem this growing infidelity that Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in honor of Christ the King; he wanted to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty they owed to Christ who by his incarnation had made them adopted children of God and future citizens and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Today's extract from the Book of Daniel, written two centuries before Christ came on earth, tells us that the son of man would receive from God his Father, dominion and sovereignty over all peoples, nations and languages. He would be the king of kings and the lord of glory and his kingdom would last forever. Many other messianic prophecies in the Old Testament give Christ the Messiah the title of King. The prophet Nathan promised King David (c. 1000 B.C.) that a descendant of his would come "who would establish his throne forever" (2 Sm. 7: 16). Isaiah says of the future Messiah: "he will sit on David's kingly throne, to give it lasting foundations of justice and right" (Is. 9: 6-7; see 1-5). In the prophet Jeremiah we read: "a time is coming, the Lord says, when I will raise up from the stock of David a faithful descendant at last" (Jer. 23: 3). To crown and confirm the Davidic typology, the Virgin Mary is told by the angel that the child she is to conceive "shall be known as the Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David . . . and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Lk. 1: 32). We are called on today to honor Christ our King. The other feasts of our Lord which we celebrate throughout the year remind us of all that Christ has done for us, but today's should call to our minds what we are to do for him in return. Unlike the kings of earthly kingdoms who rightly expect their loyal subjects to die for them and their nation if need be, our King, Christ, died for us in order to make us free citizens of his kingdom. He does expect us to be ready to die for him and for his kingdom if the occasion should arise, and down through his Church's history many of his loyal subjects have gladly done so. But from the vast majority of his subjects, Christ does not demand this supreme sacrifice. What he does expect and demand is not that we should die for him but that we should live for him. This we can and should do by faithfully living our Christian life day by day. The loyal, honest citizen of any country will keep the law of the land of which he is a citizen. A Christian has double citizenship: he is a citizen of his homeland and he is a citizen of Christ's kingdom. He must, therefore, be loyal to his country and loyal to Christ but as the Christian law commands obedience to the lawful civil authority the two obligations are identical in many cases. As Christians, however, we have some extra duties to perform above and beyond what our country demands of us. These can be summed up briefly in the double commandment of charity, love of God and love of neighbor. While most civilized states have laws preventing their citizens from publicly insulting God or religion, and all states prohibit citizens from injuring their neighbor in his person or in his property, the Christian law demands a positive approach. The Christian is bound to love, reverence and obey God. The first three commandments spell out for him how this is to be done. Likewise, the Christian rule of life not only forbids a Christian to injure his neighbor, it commands him positively to help his neighbor---in fact to love him as he loves himself. How loyal are we to Christ? Are we worthy citizens of his kingdom on earth and so working our way toward his eternal kingdom in heaven? Our answer is the answer to the question: do we sincerely love God and our neighbor? Only we can give a true answer to this question and it is we ourselves who will reap the reward or suffer the eternal consequence of the positive or negative answer which our consciences give to this vital question.
SECOND READING: Apocalypse (Revelation) 1: 5-8. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, everyone who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. EXPLANATION: Apocalypse, a Greek word meaning uncovering or revelation, is the name given to the last book of the New Testament. Tradition dating from St. Justin (165 A.D.), and widespread by the end of the second century, says that its author was St. John the Evangelist. The very different style of writing and the different vocabulary when compared with St. John's Gospel and Epistles may be explicable when we consider that the apocalyptic literature was very different from ordinary literature. It became a very common type of writing among the Jews of the last two centuries before Christ. It uses a lot of symbolic imagery and language, mostly borrowed from Old Testament prophetic books. Visions occur frequently but need not be taken as having been objective; nor must the symbolic imagery be interpreted literally. The general theme of St. John's Apocalypse is best interpreted as eschatological, that is, as referring to the end of the world and the events that precede and accompany it. On the other hand, the brief letters to the seven churches are practical contemporaneous advice as the occasion demanded. The four verses, read from this book today, refer to the supreme kingship of Christ who founded a kingdom for us. In this kingdom he has made us priests dedicated to the service of God his Father. He will come a second time to judge all men.
Jesus...witness: Jesus is our witness of God. He has revealed God to us and God's plan for us, and as a faithful witness he gave his life to prove the truth of what he preached and revealed to us.
first-born of the dead: But death did not hold him, he rose from the dead "the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep (died)" (1 Cor. 15: 20). He conquered death not only for himself but for all men.
ruler of kings on earth: At the resurrection of Christ, God the Father glorified him in his humanity and gave him dominion and power over all creatures. Everything in heaven and on earth was made subject to him. As he said to his Apostles before his ascension: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Mt. 28: 18; see Dan. 7: 14; Rom. 14: 9; Phil. 2: 11; Eph. 1: 20-23). Here, in this one sentence, we have the essential points of our Christian faith: the incarnation, death, resurrection and glorification of Christ, the Son of God.
To...us: Because of his love for us---a love which will continue for all time---he has freed us from our sins, his sacrifice of himself on Calvary made atonement to his Father for all the sins of the world.
made us a kingdom: He established his messianic kingdom. Its first stage is the Church on earth. Its perfection is the eternal kingdom of heaven.
priests...Father: Christ was our great High Priest (see Epistle to Hebrews), who offered the perfect sacrifice. We Christians are members of his mystical body and therefore partake in his priesthood. Our Christian lives, if truly lived, are a continual reoffering of the perfect sacrifice of Christ.
glory...ever: This is a doxology thanking Jesus for all he has done for US.
coming...clouds: He will be seen coming in the clouds of glory to judge all men, as foretold in Daniel 7: 13 (first reading today).
every...him: This judgement will be universal.
everyone...him: His second coming will not be a cause for joy for those who caused his passion, either physically or morally, by their sins.
tribes...wail: The pagan nations which persecuted Christ's Church will then bemoan their errors but too late.
Alpha and Omega: These are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. Here the phrase means the beginning of all things and the end toward which all things created are destined.
is...come: That is the eternity of God; he began all history and he it is who will terminate it.
the Almighty: This corresponds to "the God of hosts," the "God of power" of the Old Testament. APPLICATION: As one would expect on this special feastday of Christ our King, the readings chosen from sacred Scripture stress the kingly glory and dignity of Christ after his triumph over sin and death, while they also remind us of how much we owe him. This kingly glory will be visible to all men at his second coming---a vision which will delight his faithful ones but which will strike terror into his enemies. In his Apocalypse St. John reminds us first and foremost of all that Christ has done for us. During his life among us, he has revealed his loving Father. It was his own divine love that made him come as the incarnate Son of God and give his life for us. He triumphed over death and continues to love us in heaven. He established his messianic kingdom, in which we, his subjects, are given the power and the privilege of serving God with a true service---for he has joined us to himself who alone could give fitting service to his Father. John then reminds the faithful followers of Christ and Christ's opponents as well that Christ will return in glory and majesty to demand a reckoning from each one. This is a sobering thought for all of us. Each will have to stand before the tribunal of Christ one day and see one's life work laid bare. On that day we shall see all our thoughts, words and actions as they really were. Here on earth, our prejudices and our pride and selfishness can minimize our faults and exaggerate our virtues, but in the presence of the omniscient Judge we will see ourselves as we truly are. We shall have no excuses to offer because we will see the emptiness, the folly of the excuses with which we silenced our consciences here below. Instead of making too much of our good deeds and our virtues, we will realize how little we have done for him who humbled himself even to the death of the cross for our sakes. The saints of God regretted that they had not done more for the Savior and King who had gone to such lengths in order to bring them into his heavenly kingdom. We thank God that the dread moment has not yet arrived. We have still time left in which to put our conscience and our spiritual affairs in order. Today's feast gives each one of us the opportunity of seeing how we stand in relation to Christ. Are we loyal subjects faithfully trying to carry out his laws? Are we sincerely grateful to him who put heaven within our reach, showed us the way to go there and is daily helping us? If so, let us promise that with the help of God's grace we will continue to be loyal and grateful. If, on the other hand, some of us will have to admit to ourselves, and to Christ, that we have been far from faithful and too often entirely ungrateful for his divine love and mercy we still have a chance to put things right before our judgement day arrives. Christ is ever ready to forgive and welcome back the prodigal sons. Today our King is calling to us to return home to him who "loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood." He died on a cross so that we should have eternal life. He is ready to forgive and forget all our past disloyalties, if only we will turn to him and ask for forgiveness. Our verdict on the day of our judgement will depend on the decision which we take today. Our eternity of happiness or of misery depends on that verdict. With our eternal future at stake should we allow the trivial, transient things of this life to come between us and Christ, the King of Kings?
GOSPEL: John 18: 33-37. Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice." EXPLANATION: The Sanhedrin or the highest governing body of the Jewish people at that time, had condemned Jesus as guilty of blasphemy, because he claimed to be the Son of God. For this crime they judged him deserving of death. Because they wanted him to die the most shameful and painful of deaths, they brought him to Pilate who would pass the sentence of crucifixion. The accusation they produced to Pilate was not the religious one mentioned above, but a trumped up political charge. As St. Luke puts it: "We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king" (Lk. 23: 2). Pilate was not impressed by their accusation. He questioned Jesus about his kingship and Jesus admitted that he was a king but that his kingdom was not of this world.
Are you...Jews?: Pilate saw there was something false about the Jewish accusation and so he questioned Jesus the prisoner, in order to get the true facts.
or did...it: Jesus knew that Pilate did not suspect him of being a leader of a revolt against the Roman authorities who were then in Palestine. As governor, Pilate had his agents around the country. He wondered therefore why Jesus should ask him this question. As Messiah, Jesus was a king---the messianic descendant promised to David, but he was not a king in the Roman sense of the word.
what...done?: Pilate again showed that he did not accept the accusation of the chief priests who handed Jesus over to him for condemnation. He, therefore, asked Jesus what he had done to merit this treatment from "his own nation," his fellow-Jews.
Jesus answered: Jesus told Pilate that the priests' accusation about his claim to be King was not a true one in the sense that they wished Pilate to understand it, but he was a true king and was founding a new kingdom which was a spiritual kingdom, one not concerned with political causes. His "kingship was not of this world."
you...king: Jesus agreed with Pilate's statement. That Pilate understood Jesus' kingship to be something other than political is clear from his later attempts to free Jesus.
bear...truth: He had come into the world as man to teach men the fundamental, real truths concerning God and man.
who...bears: Christ's message would be accepted gladly by all lovers of truth and likewise would be rejected by all those who preferred the darkness of ignorance. Whether Pilate was impressed or not by this statement, history has proved how true it was. APPLICATION: In today's two previous readings we have seen that the prophets foretold the kingship of Christ and the Apostle John described him as the founder of our kingdom who one day would judge all mankind. In today's gospel, we have our divine Lord's own statement that he is a king---the king of a new and everlasting kingdom which is not of this world. He made this statement to the Roman governor to whom he had been handed over by the priests and leaders of the Jewish people to be put to death by crucifixion. Long before, he had foreseen this death and had accepted it as part of his Father's plan for making atonement for the sins of mankind. He knew Pilate did not believe that he was the leader of a rebellion against the Roman authorities, but he did not try to influence Pilate's decision in his favor for he wanted the will of his Father carried out to the letter. Five centuries before, the prophet second-Isaiah had described the Messiah who was to come as the Servant of God who suffered torments on our behalf. The prophet says: "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . surely, he has borne our grief's and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. We like sheep have gone astray . . . and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers he opened not his mouth" (Is. 53: 3-7). Had Pilate known this prophecy he would not have been surprised that Jesus uttered no word in his own defense. His Father had sent him to raise up mankind and to make atonement for men's sins; his death on the cross was that supreme act of atonement and without objection he accepted it. The kings of this earth demand of their subjects that they should be ready, if necessary, to lay down their lives to defend their king and realm. Men have always accepted this and millions have gladly given their lives to defend their country and rulers. We have a king who laid down his life for us and set us an example unlike that of any earthly king. Following his Father's will, he did this to make us worthy to share in the Father's eternal kingdom. The incarnation, which made us adopted children of God, and the crucifixion, which obtained remission of our sins, surely prove to us the love and the esteem in which God holds us. It should also show how important is our future life. Christ did not come on earth to make us healthy, happy or prosperous in this world; he came to open heaven for us where we could be happy forever. This was God's purpose in creating us. This is his purpose for us still. All our other interests in this life are secondary when compared with this. In honoring Christ today as our King, let us especially thank him for all the humiliations and sufferings he endured on our behalf. If our Christian way of living makes some demands on us let us not forget how trivial they are when compared with what Christ's earthly life cost him. He made these severe sacrifices for us; we are asked to make our small offerings for ourselves. Our self-interest alone should inspire us, but our gratitude to Christ should especially move us to play our part. Let us promise to be grateful and loyal subjects of his for the rest of our days. He has made us members of his kingdom on earth---the Church---and is preparing a place for us in his everlasting kingdom. Let no one be so foolish as to forfeit an eternal happiness because of some earthly attachment to the passing things of this world.-b452 Click to return to our Home page
FIRST READING: Daniel 7:13-14. I saw in the night visions, and behold
with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the
Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and
glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
EXPLANATION: These verses are part of some visions which Daniel had in
the night and for which he got the explanation next day (Dn. 7). There were
visions of the four kingdoms or empires whose rulers are described as beasts.
These kingdoms were those of Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece. Finally he saw the
worst of them all---the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes who tried to destroy the
Jewish religion. But the "Ancient of Days" stepped in and set up a new king and
a new kingdom. The kingdom was for all nations---for Gentiles as well as
Jews---and one that would be everlasting. one...man: In Hebrew and Aramaic "a son of man" means a man, but here it signifies some man who is mysteriously more than man. That he was an individual is attested to by early Jewish apocryphal (Enoch and 2 Esdras), and rabbinical writings but especially by our Lord who applied this title to himself. At times, he used it to express his lowly state (Mt. 8: 20; 11: 19; 20: 28), at other times to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection (17: 19), of his return in glory (24: 30), and of his coming in judgement (25: 30). In this way, the title puts a veil over---and hinted at---the sort of Messiah Jesus was. His final explicit avowal before the Sanhedrin left no doubt as to the meaning for him of this title.
Ancient of Days: The rulers of the pagan kingdoms are described as beasts coming out of the abyss; the ruler of the eternal kingdom, however, is like a man and comes "with the clouds of heaven" that is, comes from God who is described as the Ancient of Days---he who was there before time began.
presented before him: After his resurrection, Christ appeared in glory at the throne of the Father, his mission on earth accomplished (see Jn. 17).
dominion...kingdom: He was then made king of the new universal, spiritual kingdom---the Church---which begins on earth but has its completion and perfection in heaven.
people...languages: All mankind was made subject to his rule.
everlasting...destroyed: Unlike all earthly kingdoms, the kingdom of Christ will last forever. On earth his Church will last until the last man has been saved: "the gates of hell will not prevail against it," and in heaven those who served him faithfully will have an unending kingdom of happiness. APPLICATION: Today's feastday was instituted as a rallying-call to all Christians to acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ our King over all earthly powers, kingdoms and peoples. This call was very necessary in an age when worldliness and earthly ambitions were drawing the minds of men further away from God and Christ, and from their own eternal interests. Our twentieth century has seen not only pagan countries denying the existence of God and a future life but nations that were once Christian have been forced to live under atheistic regimes which forbid the public practice of religion. It was to counteract and stem this growing infidelity that Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in honor of Christ the King; he wanted to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty they owed to Christ who by his incarnation had made them adopted children of God and future citizens and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Today's extract from the Book of Daniel, written two centuries before Christ came on earth, tells us that the son of man would receive from God his Father, dominion and sovereignty over all peoples, nations and languages. He would be the king of kings and the lord of glory and his kingdom would last forever. Many other messianic prophecies in the Old Testament give Christ the Messiah the title of King. The prophet Nathan promised King David (c. 1000 B.C.) that a descendant of his would come "who would establish his throne forever" (2 Sm. 7: 16). Isaiah says of the future Messiah: "he will sit on David's kingly throne, to give it lasting foundations of justice and right" (Is. 9: 6-7; see 1-5). In the prophet Jeremiah we read: "a time is coming, the Lord says, when I will raise up from the stock of David a faithful descendant at last" (Jer. 23: 3). To crown and confirm the Davidic typology, the Virgin Mary is told by the angel that the child she is to conceive "shall be known as the Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David . . . and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Lk. 1: 32). We are called on today to honor Christ our King. The other feasts of our Lord which we celebrate throughout the year remind us of all that Christ has done for us, but today's should call to our minds what we are to do for him in return. Unlike the kings of earthly kingdoms who rightly expect their loyal subjects to die for them and their nation if need be, our King, Christ, died for us in order to make us free citizens of his kingdom. He does expect us to be ready to die for him and for his kingdom if the occasion should arise, and down through his Church's history many of his loyal subjects have gladly done so. But from the vast majority of his subjects, Christ does not demand this supreme sacrifice. What he does expect and demand is not that we should die for him but that we should live for him. This we can and should do by faithfully living our Christian life day by day. The loyal, honest citizen of any country will keep the law of the land of which he is a citizen. A Christian has double citizenship: he is a citizen of his homeland and he is a citizen of Christ's kingdom. He must, therefore, be loyal to his country and loyal to Christ but as the Christian law commands obedience to the lawful civil authority the two obligations are identical in many cases. As Christians, however, we have some extra duties to perform above and beyond what our country demands of us. These can be summed up briefly in the double commandment of charity, love of God and love of neighbor. While most civilized states have laws preventing their citizens from publicly insulting God or religion, and all states prohibit citizens from injuring their neighbor in his person or in his property, the Christian law demands a positive approach. The Christian is bound to love, reverence and obey God. The first three commandments spell out for him how this is to be done. Likewise, the Christian rule of life not only forbids a Christian to injure his neighbor, it commands him positively to help his neighbor---in fact to love him as he loves himself. How loyal are we to Christ? Are we worthy citizens of his kingdom on earth and so working our way toward his eternal kingdom in heaven? Our answer is the answer to the question: do we sincerely love God and our neighbor? Only we can give a true answer to this question and it is we ourselves who will reap the reward or suffer the eternal consequence of the positive or negative answer which our consciences give to this vital question.
SECOND READING: Apocalypse (Revelation) 1: 5-8. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, everyone who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. EXPLANATION: Apocalypse, a Greek word meaning uncovering or revelation, is the name given to the last book of the New Testament. Tradition dating from St. Justin (165 A.D.), and widespread by the end of the second century, says that its author was St. John the Evangelist. The very different style of writing and the different vocabulary when compared with St. John's Gospel and Epistles may be explicable when we consider that the apocalyptic literature was very different from ordinary literature. It became a very common type of writing among the Jews of the last two centuries before Christ. It uses a lot of symbolic imagery and language, mostly borrowed from Old Testament prophetic books. Visions occur frequently but need not be taken as having been objective; nor must the symbolic imagery be interpreted literally. The general theme of St. John's Apocalypse is best interpreted as eschatological, that is, as referring to the end of the world and the events that precede and accompany it. On the other hand, the brief letters to the seven churches are practical contemporaneous advice as the occasion demanded. The four verses, read from this book today, refer to the supreme kingship of Christ who founded a kingdom for us. In this kingdom he has made us priests dedicated to the service of God his Father. He will come a second time to judge all men.
Jesus...witness: Jesus is our witness of God. He has revealed God to us and God's plan for us, and as a faithful witness he gave his life to prove the truth of what he preached and revealed to us.
first-born of the dead: But death did not hold him, he rose from the dead "the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep (died)" (1 Cor. 15: 20). He conquered death not only for himself but for all men.
ruler of kings on earth: At the resurrection of Christ, God the Father glorified him in his humanity and gave him dominion and power over all creatures. Everything in heaven and on earth was made subject to him. As he said to his Apostles before his ascension: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Mt. 28: 18; see Dan. 7: 14; Rom. 14: 9; Phil. 2: 11; Eph. 1: 20-23). Here, in this one sentence, we have the essential points of our Christian faith: the incarnation, death, resurrection and glorification of Christ, the Son of God.
To...us: Because of his love for us---a love which will continue for all time---he has freed us from our sins, his sacrifice of himself on Calvary made atonement to his Father for all the sins of the world.
made us a kingdom: He established his messianic kingdom. Its first stage is the Church on earth. Its perfection is the eternal kingdom of heaven.
priests...Father: Christ was our great High Priest (see Epistle to Hebrews), who offered the perfect sacrifice. We Christians are members of his mystical body and therefore partake in his priesthood. Our Christian lives, if truly lived, are a continual reoffering of the perfect sacrifice of Christ.
glory...ever: This is a doxology thanking Jesus for all he has done for US.
coming...clouds: He will be seen coming in the clouds of glory to judge all men, as foretold in Daniel 7: 13 (first reading today).
every...him: This judgement will be universal.
everyone...him: His second coming will not be a cause for joy for those who caused his passion, either physically or morally, by their sins.
tribes...wail: The pagan nations which persecuted Christ's Church will then bemoan their errors but too late.
Alpha and Omega: These are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. Here the phrase means the beginning of all things and the end toward which all things created are destined.
is...come: That is the eternity of God; he began all history and he it is who will terminate it.
the Almighty: This corresponds to "the God of hosts," the "God of power" of the Old Testament. APPLICATION: As one would expect on this special feastday of Christ our King, the readings chosen from sacred Scripture stress the kingly glory and dignity of Christ after his triumph over sin and death, while they also remind us of how much we owe him. This kingly glory will be visible to all men at his second coming---a vision which will delight his faithful ones but which will strike terror into his enemies. In his Apocalypse St. John reminds us first and foremost of all that Christ has done for us. During his life among us, he has revealed his loving Father. It was his own divine love that made him come as the incarnate Son of God and give his life for us. He triumphed over death and continues to love us in heaven. He established his messianic kingdom, in which we, his subjects, are given the power and the privilege of serving God with a true service---for he has joined us to himself who alone could give fitting service to his Father. John then reminds the faithful followers of Christ and Christ's opponents as well that Christ will return in glory and majesty to demand a reckoning from each one. This is a sobering thought for all of us. Each will have to stand before the tribunal of Christ one day and see one's life work laid bare. On that day we shall see all our thoughts, words and actions as they really were. Here on earth, our prejudices and our pride and selfishness can minimize our faults and exaggerate our virtues, but in the presence of the omniscient Judge we will see ourselves as we truly are. We shall have no excuses to offer because we will see the emptiness, the folly of the excuses with which we silenced our consciences here below. Instead of making too much of our good deeds and our virtues, we will realize how little we have done for him who humbled himself even to the death of the cross for our sakes. The saints of God regretted that they had not done more for the Savior and King who had gone to such lengths in order to bring them into his heavenly kingdom. We thank God that the dread moment has not yet arrived. We have still time left in which to put our conscience and our spiritual affairs in order. Today's feast gives each one of us the opportunity of seeing how we stand in relation to Christ. Are we loyal subjects faithfully trying to carry out his laws? Are we sincerely grateful to him who put heaven within our reach, showed us the way to go there and is daily helping us? If so, let us promise that with the help of God's grace we will continue to be loyal and grateful. If, on the other hand, some of us will have to admit to ourselves, and to Christ, that we have been far from faithful and too often entirely ungrateful for his divine love and mercy we still have a chance to put things right before our judgement day arrives. Christ is ever ready to forgive and welcome back the prodigal sons. Today our King is calling to us to return home to him who "loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood." He died on a cross so that we should have eternal life. He is ready to forgive and forget all our past disloyalties, if only we will turn to him and ask for forgiveness. Our verdict on the day of our judgement will depend on the decision which we take today. Our eternity of happiness or of misery depends on that verdict. With our eternal future at stake should we allow the trivial, transient things of this life to come between us and Christ, the King of Kings?
GOSPEL: John 18: 33-37. Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice." EXPLANATION: The Sanhedrin or the highest governing body of the Jewish people at that time, had condemned Jesus as guilty of blasphemy, because he claimed to be the Son of God. For this crime they judged him deserving of death. Because they wanted him to die the most shameful and painful of deaths, they brought him to Pilate who would pass the sentence of crucifixion. The accusation they produced to Pilate was not the religious one mentioned above, but a trumped up political charge. As St. Luke puts it: "We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king" (Lk. 23: 2). Pilate was not impressed by their accusation. He questioned Jesus about his kingship and Jesus admitted that he was a king but that his kingdom was not of this world.
Are you...Jews?: Pilate saw there was something false about the Jewish accusation and so he questioned Jesus the prisoner, in order to get the true facts.
or did...it: Jesus knew that Pilate did not suspect him of being a leader of a revolt against the Roman authorities who were then in Palestine. As governor, Pilate had his agents around the country. He wondered therefore why Jesus should ask him this question. As Messiah, Jesus was a king---the messianic descendant promised to David, but he was not a king in the Roman sense of the word.
what...done?: Pilate again showed that he did not accept the accusation of the chief priests who handed Jesus over to him for condemnation. He, therefore, asked Jesus what he had done to merit this treatment from "his own nation," his fellow-Jews.
Jesus answered: Jesus told Pilate that the priests' accusation about his claim to be King was not a true one in the sense that they wished Pilate to understand it, but he was a true king and was founding a new kingdom which was a spiritual kingdom, one not concerned with political causes. His "kingship was not of this world."
you...king: Jesus agreed with Pilate's statement. That Pilate understood Jesus' kingship to be something other than political is clear from his later attempts to free Jesus.
bear...truth: He had come into the world as man to teach men the fundamental, real truths concerning God and man.
who...bears: Christ's message would be accepted gladly by all lovers of truth and likewise would be rejected by all those who preferred the darkness of ignorance. Whether Pilate was impressed or not by this statement, history has proved how true it was. APPLICATION: In today's two previous readings we have seen that the prophets foretold the kingship of Christ and the Apostle John described him as the founder of our kingdom who one day would judge all mankind. In today's gospel, we have our divine Lord's own statement that he is a king---the king of a new and everlasting kingdom which is not of this world. He made this statement to the Roman governor to whom he had been handed over by the priests and leaders of the Jewish people to be put to death by crucifixion. Long before, he had foreseen this death and had accepted it as part of his Father's plan for making atonement for the sins of mankind. He knew Pilate did not believe that he was the leader of a rebellion against the Roman authorities, but he did not try to influence Pilate's decision in his favor for he wanted the will of his Father carried out to the letter. Five centuries before, the prophet second-Isaiah had described the Messiah who was to come as the Servant of God who suffered torments on our behalf. The prophet says: "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . surely, he has borne our grief's and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. We like sheep have gone astray . . . and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers he opened not his mouth" (Is. 53: 3-7). Had Pilate known this prophecy he would not have been surprised that Jesus uttered no word in his own defense. His Father had sent him to raise up mankind and to make atonement for men's sins; his death on the cross was that supreme act of atonement and without objection he accepted it. The kings of this earth demand of their subjects that they should be ready, if necessary, to lay down their lives to defend their king and realm. Men have always accepted this and millions have gladly given their lives to defend their country and rulers. We have a king who laid down his life for us and set us an example unlike that of any earthly king. Following his Father's will, he did this to make us worthy to share in the Father's eternal kingdom. The incarnation, which made us adopted children of God, and the crucifixion, which obtained remission of our sins, surely prove to us the love and the esteem in which God holds us. It should also show how important is our future life. Christ did not come on earth to make us healthy, happy or prosperous in this world; he came to open heaven for us where we could be happy forever. This was God's purpose in creating us. This is his purpose for us still. All our other interests in this life are secondary when compared with this. In honoring Christ today as our King, let us especially thank him for all the humiliations and sufferings he endured on our behalf. If our Christian way of living makes some demands on us let us not forget how trivial they are when compared with what Christ's earthly life cost him. He made these severe sacrifices for us; we are asked to make our small offerings for ourselves. Our self-interest alone should inspire us, but our gratitude to Christ should especially move us to play our part. Let us promise to be grateful and loyal subjects of his for the rest of our days. He has made us members of his kingdom on earth---the Church---and is preparing a place for us in his everlasting kingdom. Let no one be so foolish as to forfeit an eternal happiness because of some earthly attachment to the passing things of this world.-b452 Click to return to our Home page
