The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, November 21, 2021, as the thirty fourth Sunday in ordinary time, year B. It is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year B, and it is also celebrated as the Solemnity of Christ the King. In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive strength and divinity, wisdom and power and honour: to him be glory and power for ever.
All the readings of this last Sunday of the Church’s Year B point to Jesus as the King of the Universe. Over the past months, we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of Christ. Now we contemplate him in his glorified state as King of all creation and of all souls. In the Old Testament passage from Daniel, in the first reading, the prophet sees in a vision how God will reveal Himself in power and glory. He speaks of the kingdom of the Son of Man, who is none other than Christ Jesus, King of the Universe. His is a kingdom of love that encompasses the whole universe, races and nations, without discrimination.
In the second reading from the Apocalypse, the visionary says that God’s reign on earth is based on the power of truth and love. His reign manifests itself wherever people believe in love and truth, and abide by them. Jesus, through self-sacrifice, leads us into his victory and glory, making us priestly and royal people, who love God and one another. In the Gospel, the evangelist John shows us the confrontation between Jesus and Pilate, which leads Jesus to reveal he is a king like no other; he is a servant-king, who comes to serve and not to be served and sacrifice his life for others. He came as king to bear witness to the truth, a king who uses no violence to impose his reign on others. In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace to always live with Christ, who has made us sharers of his love, a love that liberates us and makes us children of God.
In the course of this Mass, let us pray in a special way for our brothers and sisters who are ill: “Remember, O Christ, King of the Universe, our brothers and sisters who are ill, whom we now commend to Your compassionate regard. Comfort them upon their sickbed, and ease their suffering. We beg for deliverance, and submit that no healing is too hard for you, O Christ King of the Universe, if it be your will. We therefore pray that You bless them with Your loving care, renew their strength, and heal what ails them in Your loving name. Thank You, Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who lives and reigns with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.”
First Reading: 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.
Comment
The book of Daniel is the fourth of the Major Prophets after Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Daniel is the prophet of the exile period. Set in Babylon during the exile, the book of Daniel reflects the situation of the Jews in the eastern Diaspora during the fifth to third centuries BC. The hero, Daniel, is presented as living in Babylonia during the reign of the last kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and their first successors, the early kings of the Medes and the Persians around the 6th century BC. It is generally agreed that it was written around the year 165 BC shortly before the death of the tyrant king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruthless persecutor of the Jews.
We learn from history that in the 8th century BC Israel became a province of the Assyrian Empire. In the 7th century, the Medes with the assistance of Babylonia took control and annexed the former kingdom of Judah. The conquest led to a wholesale slaughter of the Jews and many of those who survived were deported to Babylon. There many of them were forced to denounce their own religion and embrace that of their conqueror.
Some, however, resisted and the ensuing conflict forms the basis of the Book of Daniel. In it, the writer exhorts the Jews to stay true to their religion and to worship their God and none other, even if there are obstacles on the way – even if it means death.
The short passage of our meditation is important for the way our Lord conceived his mission. Of all the titles used of Christ, it is this one, the Son of Man, that we find most on his lips. He fuses the figure of the Son of Man with Isaiah’s suffering servant to express most perfectly what his purpose on earth is. Who is this Son of Man in Daniel’s prophecy? He has God’s prerogative of being enthroned on the clouds of heaven, and possessing universal rule. But he also represents the people of God. Unlike the other kings, who brutalize their subjects, sometimes behaving like beasts, the Son of Man, on the contrary, is gentle and meek because he is of heavenly origin.
What message are we taking home from this passage? We must understand that Daniel is writing at a time of great persecution by the Syrian ruler, Antiochus. The prophet therefore encourages his people to be patient because a personal king will bring the reign of peace to them, even in exile. This is also a message to many people in Africa, where leaders oppress their people and refuse to leave power. God is with his people and will surely liberate them from the reign of stay-put dictators. Let us pray for our leaders, that God may open their hearts to think of the interest of their people and not only theirs, as it is presently the case in many of our countries, including Cameroon. Amen.
Second Reading: Apocalypse, 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.”
Comment
As we saw last Sunday, the Apocalypse or the Book of Revelation is the last book of Sacred Scripture and is the only prophetical book in the New Testament. The Church makes frequent use of it, particularly in the Liturgy, to sing the praises of the risen Lord and the splendor of the heavenly Jerusalem, which symbolizes the Church in the glory of heaven.
Even though this letter is said to be addressed to the seven churches that are in Asia, it is in fact addressed to the whole Church. It seeks to alert Christians to the grave dangers which threaten faith, while consoling and encouraging those who are suffering tribulation, particularly due to the fierce and long-drawn-out persecution mounted by the Roman Emperor Domitian in which many Christians lost their lives. Christians also suffered persecution from the part of both Jews and pagans. This sort of persecution of Christians was to continue up to the fourth century, when the advent of Emperor Constantine brought peace.
The passage of this day’s meditation comes from the first part of this book, immediately after the Prologue. John first indicates that he is addressing this letter to the seven churches in Asia that are suffering grave persecution. He encourages them to persevere in their faith, which is blessed by God “who is, who was, and who is to come”. This is an elaboration of the name “Yahweh” (I am who I am), which God revealed to Moses (Ex 3: 14), and underlines the fact that God is the Lord of history, of the past, the present and the future, and that he is at all times acting to bring his salvation to all mankind through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Christ is the incarnation of love for us, which knows no bounds. His generosity led him to sacrifice his life for us by the shedding of his blood on the Cross. Saint Augustine reminds us that all were held captive by the devil before the Redeemer came and rescued us by shedding his blood and with it purchased the whole world.
Not content with setting us free from sin, our Lord has also given us a share in his kingship and priesthood. He has assembled his holy people on earth to bring them enduring salvation, and he will be revealed in all his glory to the whole world at the end of time. When that time comes, those who crucified Christ will be astonished by the grandeur and glory of the crucified One. The joy of those who put their faith in this glorious manifestation of Christ will contrast with the pains of those who reject God’s love and mercy. “Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory” (Mt. 24:30).
One message stands out in this reading and it is that Christ will come in glory at the end of time. God is the beginning and end of all things, of the world and of history. We should therefore put all our trust and hope in him who is, who was and who will always be. Amen.
Gospel: John 18: 33-37.
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.”
Comment
As I said in the introduction, the Solemnity of Christ the King brings the liturgical year B to a close. Over the past months we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of the Lord and now we contemplate Christ in his glorified state as King of all Creation and of our souls. The feasts of the Epiphany, Easter and the Ascension also relate to Christ as King and Lord of the Universe, but the Church has wanted to have this feast as a special remembrance of the love Christ has for us, especially of the modern age. Pope Pius XI started it in 1925 as a way of making the lay faithful aware of Christ’ Kingship and of the government of Christ, who rules our lives and the whole world.
But what does the title, Christ the King, really mean? Where is his kingdom? That is the question that baffles the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, in the Gospel of this day. “So then you are king?” he asks, quite puzzled. “My kingdom is not of this world,” Christ answers. Christ is a king unlike any other king. His is a kingdom ruled by a servant-king, one who came to serve and not to be served. He is a king who came to bear witness to the truth, a king who uses no violence (Jn 18:3). He even forbids the use of force, as when Peter draws his sword and strikes a servant’s ear when his Master is about to be arrested (Mt 26: 52); also when the Zebedee brothers, James and John, ask him to rain destruction on a small Samaritan village that refuses to welcome him, Jesus rebukes them and they leave the village in peace (Lk 9: 55-56).
Jesus baffles Pilate and us because he is a king like any of us, tempted just as we are although without sin (Heb 4: 15). He is subject to suffering and hardships and his throne is his cross. He will rule his people from his throne, something which neither Pilate nor any of us might understand. His power is the self-surrendering love and selfless service – the very essence of his life.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that will have no end (Lk 1:34). In contrast to the kings of the world, who have others die for them, Jesus dies for us on the cross and thus makes us sharers of his love. Unlike many of our earthly kings and leaders, who only think of their own interest, Jesus makes the concern for others the highest priority of his kingdom.
And how can we participate in making Jesus’ kingdom part of our lives? We should participate in good works, in works of love and charity for others less fortunate than us. To the extent we open minds and hearts to the needy and serve them we become heirs to Christ’s kingdom.
Jesus’ love and witness to the truth are the marks of his kingdom. As his subjects, we will be judged on how well, or how poorly, we have witnessed to his truth, his love and his way. For a place in his kingdom, we will be asked to justify our own attitudes and behavior towards others, especially the widow, the orphan and other less privileged brothers and sisters around us.
Lord Jesus, be the king of my life and reign over me. Through the Eucharistic celebration of this day, give me the courage to proclaim to the whole world that you are our King, Lord and Savior; you who lives and reigns with the Father in the company of the Holy Spirit, Three Persons in One, world without end. Amen.
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