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:
