Homily Solemnity of Christ the King Year C

Reading 1: The plan of man and the plan of God. Though Saul was originally chosen by God to be the first king of Israel, God knew that Saul would be unfaithful to the covenant. The people insisted they wanted a king like other nations. Samuel said God was their king and leader, who delivered them from Egyptian bondage and established them in the land of milk and honey. They said they couldn’t see God. They wanted a visible king.

 

God told Samuel to anoint Saul. Later when Saul proved unfit to be the king from God’s perspective, he sent Samuel to anoint David, a mere youth, as the future king to shepherd God’s people and be commander of Israel. At first, David served Saul. But because of David’s growing popularity with the people, Saul became jealous of David, fearing that one day he would become king. A rift developed between Saul and David. David refused to take the matter of his future kingship into his own hands. He chose to wait upon the Lord.

 

Meanwhile, some of the tribes of Israel recognized David as their king. Later when Saul was killed in a battle, the rest of the tribes of Israel came to David, asking his to be the king of all the tribes of Israel. God’s plan was fulfilled. How often are we slow to recognize and accept God’s plan over our plan?

 

Gospel: The Kingdom of God is a fact. The greatest proof is the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. The acceptance of the fact is personal choice. Non acceptance has dire consequences that impact our eternal destiny. Acceptance is not merely a verbal acknowledgment, but a life lived as fully as possible as a follower of Jesus, Lord and King.

 

The bystanders around the cross and the one thief acknowledged Jesus in a mockery way, using the fact and reality by throwing it back in his face. “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.” “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”

 

Pilate had written the fact, not because he believed and submitted to the kingship of Jesus, but to taunt the religious leaders, who used the fact of Jesus’ kingship, as a charge against him. Instead of accepting Jesus as king, they aligned themselves with Caesar.

 

One thief blasphemed Jesus and was seeking salvation from a selfish reason. The other thief acknowledged his own sinfulness, his own need for forgiveness and the truth of who Jesus was. Of all those who were there, besides Jesus’ mother and a few disciples, this thief was guaranteed participation in the kingdom of God.

 

Are we the religious leaders and bystanders, who in fact act outside of the kingdom of God? Do we give lip service, but our heart is not surrendered to Jesus as Lord and King? Are we the sinner who acknowledges our sin, seeks forgiveness and desire to be with Jesus in his kingdom? Do we express this desire by the way we live under the Lordship of Jesus?

 

Reading 2 God’s plan is to establish the everlasting Kingdom of his beloved Son. We have been made worthy to share in this kingdom. It is our destiny for which we were created, to share in the lot of the saints in eternal light. It was the death and resurrection that has made our participation possible.

 

Jesus is the beginning and end, the sustainer of all. He is King and Lord by right as God and by right as our Messiah, who reconciled everything in his person. Jesus is King in fact by virtue of who he is and what he has achieved. Is he our King? Is our allegiance to him totally?