The Solemnity of Christ the King
Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Solemnity of Christ the King! Today marks the end of the Church’s liturgical year, and how fitting it is that we focus on Christ’s kingship. In particular, today’s Gospel reveals Christ’s desire to not only be king of the universe but to also be known personally by us as king of our hearts and lives. The idea of kingship in our world today is often seen unfavorably, perhaps influenced by the actions of earthly kings who rule by force and use power to serve themselves. This view of kingship is even held by the soldiers and rulers in the Gospel, where we see Jesus being told, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself”. They expect Jesus to prove himself through the use of might and power. However, Jesus introduces to us a new meaning of kingship.
Though powerful and capable of anything, Jesus proceeds not to use his power to save himself but to instead fully lay down his life for us. Jesus reveals he is a king not concerned with preserving himself or withholding his riches from us. He is a king that does not rule by force or from afar but who chose to be born in a manger, to come down from heaven and meet us in our brokenness, and ultimately to die the most gruesome death on the cross for us. He is a king who rules with humility and love and desires to share with us all that he possesses! Through his death and resurrection, he wins for us and offers us the greatest of treasures - eternal life with Him in Heaven forever.
Now the question is, what is our response to this humble and worthy king? How do we accept his offer to spend eternity with Him? We can look at the response of the good thief in today’s passage. Having spent his life in great sin, he acknowledges the punishment of crucifixion is just. There is nothing he could ever do to make up for all that he’s done. In the same way, we may feel unworthy of being with the Lord due to our sin, or feel that we have nothing good enough to offer to Him. However, as we see the thief express, all that Jesus asks for is our repentance and giving of our hearts to him. This is a simple yet demanding ask - nothing more than what we already have, and nothing less than our whole selves. However, when we repent and surrender ourselves fully to the mercy of God, Jesus tells us the same promise he gives to the thief - “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Camill Bagta
Drexel FOCUS Missionary