Solemnity of Christ the King
By Fr. Victor Feltes
Today’s psalm says: “The Lord is King, in splendor robed… Your throne stands firm from of old… Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed…” The Old Testament prophets agreed. Isaiah said “the Lord is our King, it is he who will save us.” Jeremiah said our God “is the living God, the eternal King.” And Zephaniah said “the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.” At the center of human history, when Jesus Christ is born among us, he comes as King as well.
“Behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews?’” And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel!” Pontius Pilate unknowing proclaimed this truth when he had a sign placed above Christ’s head on the Cross: “This is Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” This Sunday, we celebrate that our Lord Jesus Christ is King of the universe now.
After his Resurrection, when Jesus appeared to his apostles on a mountain in Galilee, he told them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me” and he gave his Church our Great Commission to spread his Kingdom, reassuring us, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This raises a challenging question for us: why is Jesus not visibly doing more now? All power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, so why is he not making more things happen?
His disciples wondered about this, too. Before the Risen Jesus ascended into Heaven, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” He answered, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Kingdom of God is among us, and Jesus calls us to work with him to spread it and deepen it, everywhere in everyone.
But why doesn’t Jesus just force everything to be better? As God, he is omnipotent. He has the power to do all possible things. But one thing he cannot do is to force someone’s free “No” into a free “Yes.” When Jesus returns in unveiled glory, coming upon the clouds and flanked by his angels in full-force, humanity’s time for decision will be over. That day will bring the Last Judgment and sin will no longer be given any quarter. After that, there will be only God’s Kingdom and the outer darkness. Now is the time for freely choosing.
Do we desire God’s Kingdom? Around 1000 B.C., the elders of Israel came to the Prophet Samuel asking, “Appoint a king over us to rule us like other nations.” Samuel was displeased they said, “Give us a king to rule us,” but he brought the matter to the Lord in prayer. And the Lord replied: “Listen to whatever the people say. You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king.” And during Christ’s Passion, Pilate asked the crowd, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered for the mob, “We have no king but Caesar.” They were rejecting the Lord as their King. When we pray “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven,” do we really mean what we are saying?
When Pilate asked Jesus if he was 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.” Pilate then responds with a line which today’s Gospel reading cuts off. Pilate dismissively replies, “What is truth,” and then turns his back on Truth himself, and walks away. If you desire Jesus as your Savior, you must let him be your Lord.
Advent begins next Sunday—our annual season of preparation for the coming of the Lord. Here are three wise steps for a better Advent. First, his decrees are worthy of trust. Which of his words will you neglect no more but specifically begin putting into practice? Make yourself a short list. Second, make an Advent Confession, for a fresh beginning, a new infusion of grace. And third, pray every day, for you cannot thrive without him. The saints worked wonders in this world by following Christ and doing his will. So can you. The Lord is in your midst. He is the living God, our eternal King. And if we will let him, it is he who will save us.
