The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, November 20, 2022, as the thirty fourth Sunday in ordinary time, year C. It is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year C, and 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 forever. Amen.”
The readings of this last Sunday of the Church’s year C all 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. All the readings of this Sunday center on this theme. The first reading is from the Second Book of Samuel in which we hear about King David, son of Jesse, who was the hope of every Israelite. For a thousand years before the coming of Christ, the Israelites saw their redeemer as the son of David, the one who was to bring about the promises of God to David that he would have a son on his throne forever. That son is Jesus Christ, our Lord. In the second reading, from Colossians, Saint Paul sings a beautiful hymn in praise of Christ’s sublime dignity as God and as man. Christ is the center of all creation and he is the heart of redemption, for God is with him. His reign brings forgiveness of sins and proclaims the era of salvation. In the Gospel, Saint Luke presents us Christ as king who reigns from the cross. At the height of his suffering the leaders of Israel mock him but his redeeming, liberating power comes from the cross and not from any earthly throne. In the course of this Eucharist, let us make the prayer of the repentant thief ours today: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Amen.”
First Reading: Second Samuel 5: 1-3.
In those days, all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel." So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
Comment
First and Second Samuel appear in the Hebrew Bible immediately after Joshua and before the two books of Kings, all six books being referred to as the “Earlier Prophets”, distinguished from the “Later Prophets” (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel). The books of Samuel present the hereditary monarchy of David onwards as a system of government that God desired for his people. They portray David as a model king, who was always quick to recognize his personal limitations and sinfulness and seeks forgiveness.
The history contained in the books of Samuel covers a very important period in the life of Israel extending from the birth of Samuel, the last of the judges, to the end of David's life – a period in which the twelve tribes of Israel changed from a system of having sporadic leadership to an organized state with a single, hereditary monarchy, which was the standard pattern among the neighbouring peoples (The Navarre Bible: Joshua – Kings: Texts and Commentaries, p. 209).
The books of Samuel highlight the religious meaning of the history of the chosen people from among whom God chooses certain persons, kings and prophets, to act as guides. The narratives in these books reflect God’s covenant made with his people, and more specifically with David from whose line a redeemer would come.
In the passage of our meditation, we witness the consecration of David as king of Israel. The sacred writer emphasizes the unity of the tribes of Israel, who come from the north and the south to anoint David their shepherd-king. David was already king over the southern tribes of Israel for seven and a half years before the large group of tribes from the north and south appointed him successor to King Saul. David accepted their request and began his forty-year reign over the people of God, making his capital at Jerusalem, which lay in-between the northern and the southern tribes. It was previously a Canaanite city which David himself and his men captured in battle and it became a symbol of God’s kingdom even in the New Testament. Jerusalem became the center of the political and religious life of the people of Israel and the "city of the Lord" because the Lord reigned there.
David is seen as ruler and king who governs not for his own advantage but for the welfare of his people. That is why his people refer to him as their shepherd, his original profession. A thousand years later, a descendant of David, Christ Jesus, would also be acclaimed King of Israel in fulfillment of God’s promise to David.
Saint Augustine however makes a clear distinction between the kingship of David and that of our Lord, Jesus Christ. “But what did it mean for the Lord to be acclaimed the King of Israel? What did it mean for the King of all ages to be recognized as the king of men? Christ did not become the King of Israel in order to demand tributes or to raise armies and make war against the enemies of Israel; he became the King of Israel to reign over souls, to give counsel that leads to eternal life, to bring those who were filled with faith, hope and love to the Kingdom of heaven” (In Ioannis Evangelium, 51, 4).
Jesus’ kingdom was won through his obedience which led him to death on the cross, thus bringing about the definitive salvation of all mankind. It is that feast we are celebrating today. As we celebrate our Lord as King of the Universe, let us pray for the grace to follow him more closely, bearing our own cross behind him. We ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Second Reading: Colossians 1: 11-20.
Brethren, we give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the Church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Comment
Four of Saint Paul’s Epistles – Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon – are usually referred to as his “Captivity Epistles” because they were written when Saint Paul was in prison. Given that the he suffered imprisonment in Ephesus, Caesarea and Rome, it is not easy to say for sure from which prison each of those letters was written, but it is widely thought that Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon were written during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome (in the years 61-63).
In Saint Paul’s time, Colossae was a small city in Asia Minor. Most of its inhabitants were Gentiles although it also had a sizeable Jewish community. Saint Paul visited this region at least twice, the first time during his second journey (Acts 15:6), and the second during his third journey when he stayed there a short while to strengthen the morale of the disciples at Phrygia (Acts 18: 23). The origins of the Church in Colossae lie in Saint Paul’s long stay in Ephesus during his second apostolic journey, when as a result of his preaching, “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10).
Although Saint Paul did not directly found the Church in Colossae, he was nonetheless very familiar with the difficulties they were experiencing. In the passage for our meditation, he prays for the converts of Colossae who are facing numerous challenges including harassment by false teachers. He wants them to gain a fuller knowledge of God, an understanding of Christ which will strengthen their faith and give them a power of endurance and perseverance in their faith.
Saint Paul gives us a beautiful hymn in praise of Christ’s sublime dignity as God and as man. This was an important point to make in view of the false teachings Saint Paul’s enemies were spreading among the converts. The real protagonist of this passage is the Son of God made man, whose two natures: divine and human, are always linked in the divine person of the Word of God made Flesh. The underlying message here is that Christ holds total pre-eminence over all creation. Since Christ is the Word of God, he is above all things and all angels, irrespective of their hierarchy or order, come under his command.
This passage is a beautiful hymn celebrating Christ, the head of his body, the Church. "The head," Saint Augustine says, "is our very Saviour, who suffered under Pontius Pilate and now, after rising from the dead, is seated at the right hand of the Father. And his body is the Church. For the whole Church, made up of the assembly of the faithful -- for all the faithful are Christ's members -- has Christ as its head who rules his body from on high" (Ennarrtiones in Psalmos, 56, 1).
By shedding his blood on the cross, Christ obtained peace for us. We pray for the grace to follow him so that he will continue to strengthen our faith and make of us real apostles of peace, justice and reconciliation in our families, Christian communities and society at large. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father, David. Alleluia!”
Gospel: Luke 23: 35-43.
At that time, the rulers scoffed at Jesus, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Comment
As I said in the introduction, the Solemnity of Christ the King brings the liturgical year C 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 introduced this feast in 1925 as a way of making Christ’s faithful aware of his kingship, the government of Christ, who should rule 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, when he asks Christ, who is brought to him to be judged, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn 18: 33). Christ answers that his kingdom is not of this world. “If my kingdom had been of this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews” (Jn 18: 36).
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 cuts the ear of one of those sent to arrest Jesus with the sword (Mt 26: 52). Also when the Zebedee brothers, James and John, ask him to rain destruction on a small village that refuses to welcome him, Jesus rebukes them and they leave the village in peace (Lk 9: 55-56).
Even though Christ is of royal lineage, being the descendant of David, who is destined to rule over the House of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end (Lk 1: 33), he does not claim any royal prerogatives and refuses to occupy any throne. At the beginning of his public ministry, one of the temptations from Satan is for him to exercise power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world (Mt 4:9). But he turns down this offer and later warned his disciples not to do like pagan kings, who lord it over their subject. Instead he advises them to be servants of the people, not their masters (Lk 22: 25f).
Jesus’ kingdom is the type that looks out for people who are ignored in every kingdom: the poor, the widow, the orphan, the broken and the wounded. No doubt that he ends his life crucified between two thieves, the kind of people he came into the world to rescue. That is why he is quick to grant pardon to the one repentant thief who calls on him for forgiveness. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” and the answer is immediate, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23: 42-43). From the cross, the King forgives a criminal and together they march triumphantly into paradise. That is the kind of king Jesus is: a king of forgiveness, a king of compassion, who came to serve and not to be served. Even though he has been given all power in heaven and on earth, he governs like one gentle and lowly of heart (Mt 11: 29).
We pray with Saint Augustine: “Lord, my God, how great you are, and yet you make your home in the humble of heart! It is you who lift up the downtrodden, and you are their grandeur. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord and Universal King, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.”
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