Polycarp, the bishop of
Today we are celebrating the Solemn Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Universal King, the all-embracing authority of Christ, which will lead all people to seek his peace in His Kingdom. We honour Christ as the King of the Universe, the King of Heaven and Earth, by enthroning him in our hearts, permitting him to take control of our lives, and by praying “thy Kingdom come.”
Christ is the only ruler, leader, and person who we can trust entirely in, who we can hope and put our faith in. No politician, no talkback radio commentator and no friend can be trusted to deliver in the way that Jesus delivers for us.
But how each of us understand who Christ is can be shape according to our preferences, perhaps to the Greens, the ALP, the Liberals or whoever, and may be even perhaps according to our semi-conscious needs and desires, perhaps desires for technology, fashion, wealth or personal power.
Sometimes in the press there are appeals made to different versions of Christ, which are impossible to reconcile with the full Gospel evidence. We can be told that Christ was all-tolerant, all forgiving and never had a cross word for anyone!
But the Christ of the Gospels is much more complicated than any one-dimensional image or advertisement of political correctness. You cannot know Christ simply by listening to a 30 second advertisement, especially if it authorised by someone from
Christ did speak of the primary importance of love, but he listed love of God as the first commandment with love of neighbour flowing from love of God.[1]
In today’s second reading
This portion of
In most of the prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Christ the Messiah is represented as a human king.[2]
The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the long awaited king of the Jews. In Luke’s Gospel, we read: “The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33) The magi from the East came to
Jesus indeed is a unique king with a unique kingdom. Jesus Christ still lives as king, in the hearts of millions all over the world. The cross is his throne and the Sermon on the Mount is his rule of law. In a short moment, we will be present at
The “
1. It is the life of grace within every individual who does the will of God,
2. It is the Church here on earth, the community of Christ’s faithful, and
3. It is eternal life in Heaven.
Christ’s kingdom establishes itself in our hearts, allowing us to participate in God's inner life. We are elevated and transformed through grace, through the sacraments of the Church – by eating of Christ’s Body and drinking of his blood – the very same Body and Blood offered for us at
We all should use the authority of Jesus’ message to spread the
Yesterday our country voted on our leadership for the next 3 years. This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the government, public offices, educational institutions, in our families, and so on, to use that authority, which is given by God, for Jesus and His Kingdom. Are we using our God given authority so as to serve the common good, Are we using it to build a more just society, or are we simply using our authority to boost our own egos, bank-accounts, power and control? Are we really praying “Thy Kingdom Come.”
My friends, pray for our country. Pray for those in leadership, that our country will be united and that our leaders will exercise their jurisdiction in a way that builds the
The Solemnity of Christ the King is not just the conclusion of the Church’s year. It is a summary of our lives as Christians. On this great feast day, let us resolve to give Christ our Lord the central place in our lives, our society and our world. Let us resolve to abandon those things which replace God as the most important thing in our life, and mean what we say when we pray “Thy Kingdom Come”.
In the famous words of the earlier Church Christians:
Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!
Christ conquers! Christ rules! Christ reigns!
[1] At one stage Jesus drove the money changers from the temple, explained that God's forgiveness only has consequences when we are repentant and ask for forgiveness, and at different times he severely criticised King Herod, and the Pharisees.
[2] Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Micah announced His coming as king. “You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of
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