JESUS, REMEMBER ME IN YOUR KINGDOM!

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

What is the best way to explain the reasons why Our Lord Jesus Christ is The King of the universe? Of course, there is no doubt that in His divine nature, Christ is the King because He is God. Furthermore, as the God-Man, Christ enjoys kingship which is conferred (cf. Luke 22:29: and I confer upon you a Kingdom, just as my father conferred one on me) and economical. When we speak of the economy of Our Lord’s Kingship, we mean that Jesus is “God-as-He-is-for-us” human beings, that the immanent Jesus shows us the transcendent Father as far as the human mind is able to perceive Him. This conferred kingship entitles Christ to the official and absolute power to rule over everyone and everything in heaven and on earth, and to rule both for the sheer glory of God, and also for the carrying-out of God’s purpose of salvation. According to the Psalmist, the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19). This kingship is mediatorial: in other words, Jesus mediates between us and the Father on our behalf. He pleads for us at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). Being then the King who mediates between humanity and divinity, Christ has a kingdom of grace (regnum gratiae) and a kingdom of dominion (regnum potentiae).

Within His all-encompassing kingdom of grace, Christ rules over the entire universe, over everything created. This is a salvific rule, established in the lives, hearts and minds of believers, which bears directly upon the eternal purpose of Creation – salvation! Referring to this kingdom of grace, the Psalmist prays: Your throne O God will last forever, a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom (Ps. 43:6; cf. Heb. 1:8, 9). This kingdom of grace, governed with the sceptre of God’s justice, is eternal, everlasting. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33). The kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ rules over all things for eternity. We see a small-scale version of this mirrored in the First Reading (2 Samuel 5:1-3) which gives an account of how the anointing of David as king united all the tribes in Israel under one royal head. Christ’s kingship of grace, however, unites every tribe and tongue and people and nation (cf. Revelation 7:9).

In his capacity as the King of Grace, Christ is the head of the Church (cf. Col. 2:19). In the Second Reading (Col 1:12-20), Christ is called the head of the body - “His body” - the Church. The term ‘Head’ here indicates that Christ is vested with authority. He wields that authority specifically to reconcile all things to Himself, and to make peace by the blood of his Cross. We deduce, then, that the characteristics of this kingdom of grace are justice and mercy. In his justice he condemns us, but in His mercy he redeems us (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). Jesus the merciful King both reconciles and brings peace. We live in an age that emphasises dry academic expertise and practice of secular legal argument, leaving no place for mercy. In some places of the world, ‘jungle justice’ red in tooth and claw, is dispensed indiscriminately. In other places, offenders face the wrath of the civil law, sometimes for sins which were committed decades ago, while others suffer the heavy hand of the civil law for making a rightful stand for a just cause. None of this, however, is the case in Christ’s kingdom of Grace.

This kingdom has its origin in the redeeming grace of God. The repentant thief on the Cross, St. Dismas, experienced this kingdom of grace (cf. The Gospel: Luke 23:35-43) - But this man has done nothing... Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:41.42). Having recognized the innocence of the crucified Saviour, the thief was rewarded by being given the grace of apprising the existence of the redeeming kingdom of grace in Christ. As a result, he was saved and accepted into that kingdom. The merciful divine nature overshadows us, covers us, wraps us around when we too recognize Jesus as King. When we accept the reign of God in our hearts (by personal contrition) and in the Church (in her sacraments), we step up like the Good Thief. At the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the establishment of His Kingship on earth will be perfected, while His spiritual rule will find its consummation in His visible and majestic reign in heaven.

Christ rules over the universe in His kingdom of dominion. This kingdom is sovereign over every created reality without exception. Christ providentially and judicially administers all things in the interest of his chosen people. He guides the actions of individuals, He guides the actions of groups and He guides the actions of nations, in order to promote the growth, the gradual purification, and the final perfection of the people whom He has redeemed by His blood. As a reflection of the defeat of evil by the anointed King David, the Kingship of Christ (Who shed His blood for us in apparent defeat) has dominion over sin, death and every other evil that afflicts human society. Christ protects His own against danger (not a hair of your head will be harmed Lk 21:18) and affirms His righteousness in the ongoing subjection and ultimate defeat of Satan. It follows that Our Lord’s divine Kingship serves as a model for each and every earthly kingship.   

The responsibility to establish the Kingdom of God, to govern it, and to protect and safeguard it against all hostile forces, rests squarely on the shoulders of Christ as the Anointed One. He accomplishes this in the context of the world riddled with sin, sin which aims to thwart all divine endeavour. God the Father therefore invested Christ as King with authority over the whole world. Christ the King has control over all thrones, dominions, principalities and powers (Cf. Colossians 1:16); He guarantees safe passage into eternal life for His people, and protects His own against the powers of darkness. Yet, even in His kingdom of dominion, Christ is not domineering: He has given every human being the gift of free will. He has given every person the freedom to opt in or to opt out, to accept His Kingship or to decline it. While gifting us with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, He encourages us to make use of our well-formed consciences to bring about His kingdom of grace, unity and mercy for the benefit of all humanity. The appropriate honouring of Jesus Christ as King of the Universe must go way beyond a flag-waving exercise, and way beyond simply signing up as a member of The Jesus Fan Club. It belittles Him when we are tempted to use His name as a slogan or an ‘Open Sesame’ trigger. What is required of us as loyal subjects of Christ The King is to commit ourselves to work for merciful justice for all, to labour to bring about a world where might and violence are eliminated, to strive for a world where natural resources are shared fairly, and to toil for a world where peace and unity flourish - peace between people and nations, peace within our own lives and peace with God. May Christ the Universal King reign in our hearts and in our world. Amen. God bless you.