“Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” (John 18:36).  

The major theme for this Solemnity of Christ the King focuses on the enthronement of our victorious Christ as King in heaven in all his glory. Today’s Solemnity was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea concludes the Church’s liturgical year. Pope Pius XI proclaimed this celebration to reassert the sovereignty of Christ and the Church over all forms of government, and to remind Christians of their fidelity and loyalty to Christ, who has made them both adopted children of God, and future citizens and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Christ is our spiritual King and Ruler, who rules by truth and love. We declare our loyalty to Him by the quality of our Christian commitment, expressed in our serving of others with sacrificial and forgiving love, and by our solidarity with the poor. We honor Christ as the King of the Universe, and the King of our hearts, by allowing him to take control of our lives. The Cross is Christ’s throne, and the Sermon on the Mount is His rule of law. We as His citizens need to obey His commandments: to love God above all else and to love one another as ourselves. Christ is a King with a saving and liberating mission: freeing us from all types of sinful bondage, enabling us to live peacefully and happily on earth, and promising us an inheritance in the eternal life of heaven.

Today, as we celebrate the unique and distinctive sovereignty of Jesus Christ, we affirm the fact that He exercises a supra-political, spiritual and life-giving authority over every aspect of the human experience. Unlike earthly kingdoms that continue to exist even when the earthly ruler dies or accedes the throne to a successor, without Jesus Christ there would be no kingdom or reign. But with Him, and in Him and because of Him, there is a kingdom and a reign whose realities can be recognized and realized in the hearts of all who believe.   

God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topics remind us that despite all changes in the world, Christ is still our eternal king and of the universe.  

How can we help each other accept Jesus Christ as our Servant Lord, King of Heart and surrender our lives to Him?

Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.