Catechism Links[1]
CCC 440,
446-451, 668-672, 783, 786, 908, 2105, 2628: Christ as Lord and King
CCC 678-679,
1001, 1038-1041: Christ as Judge
CCC 2816-2821:
“Thy Kingdom Come”
 |
| “Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns, Supported by Angels” by Annibale Carracci, 1585-87 |
Reading 1: 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.
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Commentary on Dn 7:13-14
An important element of this
reading is the use of the title “Son of Man.” Jesus later used it and it was
the most common way he referred to himself. This vision by Daniel was the
scriptural link used by Jesus to explain his role in salvation; “the one
like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations,
and languages serve him.” (In addition to John 1:51, see also Mark 14:62, Luke 22:69 and Matthew 26:64 all of
which reference the attendance of heavenly powers.)
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
93:1, 1-2, 5
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor
robed;
robed is the LORD and girt
about with strength.
R. The LORD is king; he is
robed in majesty.
And he has made the world
firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from
of old;
from everlasting you are, O
LORD.
R. The LORD is king; he is
robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of
trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The LORD is king; he is
robed in majesty.
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Commentary on Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise
commemorating Yahweh as king. The external revelation of God mentioned in Sirach 1:1-10 is
celebrated in this song of praise. The image of God’s throne on high, repeated
here, reinforces God’s omnipotence.
“The Lord is king”: literally, "the Lord reigns."
This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms.
They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the
throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically,
pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.”[5]
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Reading II: 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."
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Commentary on Rv 1:5-8
This vision of St. John of the
return of Jesus as King is very straightforward. One of the more significant
verses is: "'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.'"
The Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These
words are used again later in Revelation (Revelation 22:13) and
were predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah
41:4), a clear reference to Christ’s Kingship.
CCC: Rv 1:6 1546,
2855; Rv 1:8 2854
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Gospel: 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."
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Commentary on Jn 18:33b-37
In St. John’s description of the
interrogation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate, we hear Jesus’ reluctant admission of
his kinship. He clarifies that he is not a threat to civil authority, something
about which Pilate would have been most worried. If Jesus was attempting to
usurp authority from Caesar the act was treason. His statement: “My kingdom
does not belong to this world,” changes the character of the Lord’s kingdom
from a physical monarchy to one of spiritual rule.
CCC: Jn 18:36 549,
600; Jn 18:37 217,
559, 2471
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Reflection:
A Tale of Two Natures
As we come together to
celebrate in solemn worship the Feast of Christ the King we hear the words of
the Savior as he spoke to Pilate "My kingdom
does not belong to this world.” What must Pontius Pilate have thought? Jesus did not say “My kingdom is not of this
region or geography.” When we were
children and the notion of Heaven as a physical place was more easily
understood, we might have assumed that Jesus was speaking of the Heavenly Kingdom
The kingdom Jesus speaks
about is not of this world. As Origen
says, it is not even for us to see and say there it is; or here it is. This Kingdom of God
In each of us there is this “Kingdom
of God.” It is the place where the Lord
rules and has being. It exists, however,
in a constant state of tension. At its
borders is another region. This one is
dominated by our natural selves; it is where love is not found – not real love,
not the love that gives and grows like the love we find in Christ. Although it is called “love” it is not really
love at all but selfishness redefined.
It is in this dark region that the death of sin finds roots and, like a
weed, tries to crowd out the Kingdom of God.
Today we reinforce the
Kingdom of God and attempt, through our prayers, to expand her borders to contain all we are. Today we feed
ourselves with Christ’s very essence so that the Kingdom within us may reign
completely in our lives and bring light and life to all we meet.
Pax
In other years on this date:
the Memorial
of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June
2014
[3]
The picture is “Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns, Supported by Angels” by Annibale
Carracci, 1585-87
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5]
See NAB footnote on Ps 93
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