Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

         Every first Tuesday in November, citizens across the United States usually vote for the best candidate suited for whatever position they’re running for …  President, Governor, Mayor, Representative, Senator, School Board, City Council, etc., etc., etc. On every election night, or soon after, we usually witness two personal appearances. The loser sadly concedes loss … and the winner triumphantly announces victory. So … who would you rather be standing next to? I think few of us would trade places with the loser and his or her entourage. We would gladly stand with the winner, right?

---

Entrance: Ps 85(84):9 – “The Lord speaks of peace to His people and His holy ones and to those who turn to Him.”

First Reading:  2 Sam 5:1-3 – “They anointed David king of Israel.”

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 – “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”

Second Reading: Col 1:12-20 – “He transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

Alleluia: Mk 11:9, 10 – “Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Alleluia, alleluia.”

Gospel: Lk 23:35-43 – “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Communion: Ps 117(116);1, 2 – “O praise the Lord, all you nations, for His merciful love towards us is great.”

---

         Today’s feast presents us with a winner and an apparent loser. The tribes of Israel gather around David and his followers after David has finally won the kingship. And on the other hand, we see Jesus on the cross ... mocked and tormented ... flanked on either side by two criminals. But we should know ... if we look carefully ... if we look with eyes of faith ... and if we look with the insight of the Epistle to the Colossians ... we realize that Jesus ... the apparent loser ... is more victorious than His ancestor King David. And today on this solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we should feel privileged to stand with Him.

         The First and Second Books of Samuel tell of David’s long journey to the kingship of Israel. He was chosen and anointed in secret by Samuel. He served King Saul in a stormy relationship. In the beginning, he only had the tribe of Judah on his side. Finally, after much bloodshed and strife, the other eleven tribes recognized him as their leader. If we look back over David’s life ... he had pretty much been a winner all his life. And now he had arrived. He was king. He had to be satisfied and happy. For thirty-plus more years he would lead the kingdom of Israel.

         Then we have the scene set forth in the Gospel. If we look at it and accept it at face value, Jesus on the cross appears to be a loser. Crucifixion was a degrading capital punishment for non-Roman criminals and slaves. Any normal passerby would shudder to look at Him. His adversaries mocked Him. Over His head was an inscription which was meant as a cruel joke: “This is the King of the Jews.” How unlike David He appeared. Who would ever connect Him with royalty? One of the crucified criminals joined in the mockery, while the other criminal recognized something regal in Jesus. How could that second man, who was suffering the same fate as Jesus, do this? Perhaps he had heard Jesus forgive His crucifiers. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do ..." He looks on Jesus with the eyes of faith, the same faith shared by the evangelist … Saint Luke … who is telling the story. He acknowledges that Jesus does have a kingdom. And Saint Luke wants to be a part of it.

         As Christians, we should know that we have to look beyond the hill of Calvary to understand completely what we are witnessing. The Second Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians, with its rich post-resurrection theology, fills in the blanks. Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father. He does indeed have a kingdom. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the Head of the Body, the Church. He is God’s fullness shared with the world. But His kingdom is not of this world. It is not established by force or domination ... but by the blood of His cross … He has reconciled all things and has made peace. Jesus has the power greater than earthly power. He can say to the man on the cross, or to any one of us who recognizes Him as a winner: “Amen I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

         Jesus does not win the way earthly rulers win. And so, if we want to win with Him, we have to campaign the way He campaigned ... with compassion ... with selflessness ... with love. This means taking up our cross daily with faith ... taking up our cross daily with courage ... and taking up our cross daily with endurance. We have to share His crucifixion, so that we can share His resurrection. This takes willingness to be losers with Christ, so that we can be real winners, like the martyrs of Mexico including Miguel Agustin Pro, who are remembered each November 23^rd … they are just not commemorated today because it's Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King ... and they take precedence. But on this day in 1927, Fr. Miguel Pro shouted, “Viva Cristo Rey!” “Christ the King, LIVE!” as he faced the firing squad for his faith ... for our faith.

         In a few moments we will proclaim the death of the Jesus Christ ... our Lord ... our God ... our King in this Eucharistic celebration. We will claim Christ as our King by singing (or saying) Amen! ... So be it! ... The same is true when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist. As we are presented with the consecrated Host and the Priest says, "The Body of Christ," we respond, Amen ... So be it! ... I believe! The question we need to ask ourselves is this ... Are we brave enough to mean it?