The Kingdom of God
Is the feast of Christ the King still relevant today? Does it even mean anything to contemporary man? Today, there are no more kings and if there are any, they are non-functional but merely historical and cultural vestiges useful only for ceremonial and touristic purposes.
Yet the whole Scripture is replete with images of kings in conveying its message. Christ’s own teachings are centered on the kingdom of God which he explains using various parables. His words about the kingdom abound. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you… unless you change and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven…”
What is the kingdom of God? Where is it? The kingdom of God is not some place where God sits on a throne and issues commands. The kingdom of God is where God is king, where he rules, where his word is obeyed and where his command is followed. Jesus teaches us, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” The kingdom of God is where God’s will is done. Thus, Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of God is within you.”
Of course, we know that Christ is king by nature and by right. He is our God and creator “through [whom] all things were made.” He is our Savior who redeemed us by his blood, and thus possesses us. “He is head of the Body, the Church… so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”
The image of Christ the King presented in today’s gospel though is a helpless captive in front of the powerful Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asks Pilate. Jesus replies, “My kingdom does not belong to this world… For this I was born… to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
What is the truth that Jesus speaks of? The truth that God’s promise to David of an everlasting kingdom is now fulfilled in him. And that everyone who belongs to this kingdom listens to his voice.
I was in Timor Leste during the past days to preach a retreat, and I could still feel their ecstatic joy over the Pope’s visit two months ago. I congratulated them for the extraordinary manifestation of their faith and great love for the Church and the Pope. I’m sure the memories of his visit will stay long in their minds but more importantly I hope that the memory of the Pope’s message will remain longer in their hearts. The Pope’s message is written in the souvenir T-shirts they all wore (provided by the government) during the papal visit: “Que a vossa fe seja a vossa cultura.” That your faith may become your culture.
Culture is a people’s way of thinking and doing, its attitudes and values, its way of life. The Pope challenges the Timorese to manifest their faith in their life – to make Christ’s way of thinking and doing their own way of thinking and doing as a people.
What a fitting challenge for us too. Like the Timorese, we are also a predominantly Catholic nation (86%), yet how our faith stands in stark contrast to our life. While Christ teaches us the highest standard of moral rectitude corruption is not unusual in our public and personal life.
Today’s feast is an invitation for us to accept Jesus as our king, to let him rule our life and transform our minds and hearts into his own. Then his kingdom will come, “a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.”