Solemnity of Christ the King
Daniel 7:13-14 - Revelation 1: 5-8 - John 18: 33b-37
“My reign is not of this world.”
Mihaly Munkacsy, “Christ Before Pilate”, 1881
This is the feast of endings and beginnings, the final Sunday of our liturgical year, where the Church calls us to embrace Christ as our true ruler and guide. Next Sunday, we begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year.
Today’s gospel illustrates Jesus’ arrest in the garden. He has been subjected to a quick trial by his enemies and found guilty of the crime of blasphemy for equating himself with God. The Jewish leaders have no authority to carry out punishment, so they have to submit their prisoner to the Roman authorities.
Jesus now stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Palestine. Pilate wants to find out if Jesus is a king and a threat to Rome.
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
The conversation between Jesus and Pilate, two unlikely rulers, continues. Pilate questions Jesus about his kingship. Jesus responds by clarifying that his reign is “not of this world” and that his purpose is to testify to the truth.
These are words of challenge to Pilate, who has no idea what Jesus is speaking of. Jesus is not going to exercise authority over others, as earthly kings would, but, instead, invite others into relationship with him. Jesus rules, not by might, but by love.
Exchanges about power, truth, and authority are at the forefront of our conversations today. Jesus, facing judgment from earthly authorities, reveals a reign that transcends worldly definitions of power—a reign grounded in divine truth and justice rather than political control.
We see that Jesus redefines what it means to be a king. He embodies a reign rooted in truth, not in dominance or violence. To quote the poet Irene Zimmerman, Jesus came “to plot a reign of peace.”
Jesus turns all worldly standards upside down for his reign was not just for the noble and the mighty, but for everyone. Relationship and love were his power, power rooted in his cross and resurrection.
An excerpt of Paula Cranston’s poem, “A Poem for the Feast of Christ the King” illustrates the unlikely king Jesus was:
This outcast king lifted
himself high upon his savage cross,
extended the regal banner
of his bones, draping himself
upon his throne—his battered feet,
his wounded hands not fastened
there by nails but sewn
by the strictest thorn of love.
Will we choose Jesus’ reign and his words that lead to eternal life and “a reign of peace?”
Sr. Mary Ann Collins, OP
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