Solemnity, Christ the King
34th Sunday Ordinary Time – B
Daniel 7:13-14
As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.
Revelation 1:5-8
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John 18:33B-37
Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 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.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Reflection
Perhaps many of us have asked the question: What is the truth about Jesus’s kingship? What does Christ our King actually mean? We can use three concepts that would somehow differentiate our understanding of our earthly notion of king from that of Jesus’s kingship: conquest, castle, and power. Earthly kings speak of territories and lands they have conquered in their desire to accumulate more wealth and influence over people.
Moreover, kings lived in palaces and mansions that were heavily guarded to ensure their protection from those who would attempt to grab their present influence and power. Though they tried to endear themselves to the people by socializing, this did not readily happen as they were surrounded by their guards, making them quite inaccessible to ordinary people.
When we speak of power, two things are in the minds of kings, namely, everything in this world ends and that there are people who are bent to put an early end to things. The natural reaction to this is to strengthen one’s power — power over territories (get more), power over financial rivals (buy out), power over whistle-blowers (coercion), and power over civil law, moral law, and Christian law (dictatorship).
And what kind of kingship do we see in Jesus?
His conquest was not territorial. It was over sin and wrongdoing, the darkness of being blind, and the loneliness of being widowed and ostracized.
Jesus did not boast of any castle. He would even utter, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He just walked with his friends who were around him, and people were readily able to address him, question, challenge, converse, and even touch him. With him, people remained safe, for he never harmed them. He only desired to reach as many people as possible who wanted to be healed and affirmed.
Power-wise, he claims no exclusive power handed over to him by any measure financial or material. Instead, he understood power in terms of sharing it. He empowered the sick through his healings, the dead by raising them, the ostracized by restoring their dignity, and the hungry and the poor by promising their membership in the kingdom of his Father.
The so-called kings of the world eventually fall from grace and some are even forgotten. But not Jesus, our king whose death was not the end but rather the beginning of eternal life. From death came the resurrection that gives us hope and a promise that if we profess his kingship in that he conquers our hearts and lets his power of service influence us, of a life of eternal bliss in his kingdom. This is the truth about our Jesus, our king. Who do we then choose as our king?
Prayer Requests
We pray…
…for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
…for the strength and healing of:
– Eriberta Calvario
– Francis Torres
– Mon Torres
– Brenda Domingo-Solis
… for the personal intentions of
– Catherine and Selena
– Josheil Dapo
– Patrick C.
– Veronica
– Mary Deanne and family
– Pauline
.. Birthday: Ma. Cecilia Pe –Chua
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Daily prayer Diary.
– Birthday: Cecilia B. Garrucho
– Birthday: Cecile Fernandez
– Birthday: Jonel Flojo
– Wedding Anniversary: Judith & Geraldo L. Yu
– In Memoriam (+): Yu Lim Giok Chang (1916-2005)+
… for the healing and peace of all families
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
Jesus Loves You!
Also read:
- Who Feels the Pain?
- Understanding God: He is Strategic
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Pricelessness
- Why God Allows Pain
- A Christian Lady Shared the Word of God with Me
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