Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe/

Thirty-Fourth Sunday of the Year, B – Last Sunday of the Year: Nov 25, 2018.

Readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Ps 93:1ab.1b-2.5; Rev. 1:5-8; Gospel – Jn. 18:33b-37.

Theme: Of a King & His Subjects

Introduction

Beloved in Christ, another Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe is here again. Also known as thirty-fourth Sunday of the Year or last Sunday of the year, this celebration calls us to reappraise the Lord’s kingship and rulership over our lives even as it assures of our eternal destiny with the King in the kingdom of light and peace. As part of relishing the lessons of this reflection, it is important to consider the background and summary of the readings, overview, objectives and aims of the celebration as well as pastoral application and homiletic points to remember.

Background & Summary of the Readings

The first reading (Daniel 7:13-14) discloses that Daniel saw a vision of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven to the one of great age. It also reveals that the one with great age conferred on him sovereignty, glory and kingship stressing that people from all nations and languages are his subjects. It surmised that his sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which can neither be destroyed, nor cease to exist.

In the second reading (Rev. 1:5-8) from the Apocalypse of John, we are presented with Christ, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth as one who loves us and washes away our sins through his blood. John maintains that he made us a line of kings and priests to serve God his father noting that he is coming in the clouds where everybody will see him. Apostle John concludes that all the races of the earth would mourn him even as he makes the point that he is the Alpha and Omega, “The Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 

The gospel reading (Jn. 18:33b-37) recounts how Jesus dared Pilate by emphatically stating: “Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: To bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” Earlier, Jesus had said that his kingdom is not of this world otherwise; his men would have fought to defend him from being handed over to the Jews.

Story of the Clever King

The story is told of a country where the people changed their kings every year. They usually go into a contract with the person who would become king that he would be sent to an island after serving a single term of one year. Afterwards, they would choose another king. Often, they would dress the king who has finished his tenure in expensive clothes, put him on an elephant and take him round the city to say goodbye. Since they often stepped down against their wish and never returned, it was often a moment of sadness and wailing for them.

On this day the people took this king with a boat to the Remote Island and left him there. On their way back, they discovered a ship that had sunk recently. They saw a young man who survived by holding unto to a floating piece of wood. Since they were looking for a king, they picked him and begged him to be their king. 

Initially, he was afraid because of the rules involved. Eventually he agreed - After three days of being their king, he asked the ministers to take him to the island where all the other kings were sent. They obliged him; it was then he discovered thick bushes, wild animals and the dead bodies of the other kings. It dawned on him that as soon as kings were left in the island, wild animals came and devoured them which is why they do not return.

After one month as a king, he ordered 100 strong workers to clear the bushes and kill all the wild animals. In the second month, he ordered that the dead bodies of his predecessors be removed from the jungle. Since the jungle was now clear, he made it a point of duty to be visiting the island every month. Then he instructed that flowers be planted in various parts of the island. By the third month, he secretly took useful animals like chickens, ducks, birds, goats and cows to the island. In the fourth month, he stored enough food there. Soon, the deadly island became a beautiful place. 

He used the island as resting place from time to time. As such, after nine months, the clever king wanted to resign and go to the island but the people insisted that he must complete his tenure. After one year, he was dressed and put on an elephant and taken round the city to say goodbye to the people. They were shocked that he didn’t cry like the other kings. When they asked why, he retorted, “Don’t you know what wise people say? They say that when you came to this world as a baby, you were crying and everyone was smiling. Live such a life that when you die, you will be smiling and everyone around you will be crying. I have lived that life.”

The moral lesson of the story is that while the other kings were lost in the luxuries of the kingdom, the clever king always thought about the future and planned for it. He turned the deadly island into a beautiful abode where he could live peacefully. This is how we should live our lives. We ought to live our lives in this world preparing for the life of the kingdom. We are not supposed to get lost in the attractive and distracting things of this world as to forget that we are heirs of the kingdom. Even if we are privileged here like the king in this story, we should live simple lives and save all enjoyments for the kingdom to come. This story prepares us for an overview of Christ the King celebration.

Overview, Objectives and Aims of Christ the King Celebration

Although the celebration of Christ the King first took place in 1926, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in his 1925 encyclical Quas Primas. The celebration emerged in the midst of the rise of Communism in Russia and during the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea (325) as an aftermath of the First World War. The feast was a response to the rise of secularization, atheism, and communism. The interesting part of this event is that despite its Catholic origins, it is celebrated by many Protestants such as Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians.The celebration was, however, moved to the last Sunday in Ordinary Time in 1970.

Pastoral Application & Practical Lessons

1. God’s Kingdom is Universal: By stating that his sovereignty, glory and kingship is over all and his subjects are people from all nations and languages, Daniel teaches us in the first reading that salvation is for everyone. As such, traditional the procession with the Blessed Sacrament and chanting of Eucharistic hymns unto the Universal King of the Universe is timely.

2. Christ is a Compassionate King: St. John reveals Christ as the compassionate king who is not only the First-born from the dead and Ruler of the kings of the earth but one who loves us and washes away our sins through his blood. As subjects of the kingdom, we are challenged to demonstrate love to children, the aged and other vulnerable groups.

3. Christ the King bears Witness to the Truth: Just as Jesus dared Pilate by stating that he is a king who bears witness to the truth, the subjects of God’s kingdom are challenged to be ambassadors of the truth towards expanding his kingdom on earth. 

By instituting this celebration in 1925, the Holy Father Pope Pius XI wanted the solemnity to impact on the faithful in the following ways:

4. Having Courage to Live Ideal Christian Lives: To enable them gain strength and courage upon meditating on these truths so as to live ideal Christian lives. At a time when Christian persecution is rife, the Church expects us to use this celebration to pray for the release of Alice Loksha, Leah Sharibu and others who are in the custody of Boko Haram and kidnappers even as we ask Christ the King to grant us the spirit of courage to live ideal Christian lives in the face of persecution. 

5. Being Subject to Christ’s Dominion with Our Faculties: To facilitate our becoming subject to Christ’s dominion without exempting any of our faculties since his power embraces all peoples. We are challenged to use our faculties to embrace the love of Christ by expanding our perspective of God as one who redeems.

6. Letting God Reign in Our Minds: To let him reign in our minds, which must assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths, and to the doctrines of Christ. Since our mind is the engine room of the body, we are expected to set our minds on the things that are in heaven (Col. 3:1-4).  

7. Letting God Reign in Our Wills: To let Christ reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. It is impossible to please the King if our wills do not go in tandem with God’s. This includes the will to do good and remain faithful.

8. Letting God Reign in Our Hearts: To let him reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires, and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. Bearing in mind that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth flows” (Mat.12:34), we are charged to use today’s celebration to preoccupy our hearts with lofty and holy thoughts by always gazing on God.

9. Letting God Reign in Our Bodies: To let him reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for interior sanctification of our souls, or instruments of justice unto God as Saint Paul would say. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. As such, we are charged to seek the reign of God in our bodies by offering our lives as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-5) unto the King (God). 

Homiletic Points to Remember

1. [Daniel] surmised that his sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which can neither be destroyed nor cease to exist.

2. [Christ the King] celebration calls us to reappraise the Lord’s kingship and rulership over our lives.

3. It assures of our eternal destiny with the King in the kingdom of light and peace.

4. John maintains that he made us a line of kings and priests to serve God his father.

5. Jesus had said that his kingdom is not of this world otherwise, his men would have fought to defend him.

Conclusion

The celebration of Christ the King reminds us about St. Augustine’s popular phrase in his seminal book, The City of God namely, City of God and City of Men. The implication of this thesis is that while God controls the affairs of men in both heaven and earth, human beings are sadly preoccupied with mundane interests as though they created themselves. The lesson is clear - This event calls us to relive our baptismal commitment by embracing God’s kingship over our lives as sons and daughters who share in the priestly, kingly and prophetic mission of Christ. May today’s Eucharistic adoration and joyous chants enrich our faith both now and forever. Have a blessed celebration!