Happy Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe!
As we celebrate and reflect upon this feast, I want to point out an essential and timely implication of Christ’s reign as found in the second reading. Namely that Christ’s reign is everlasting. In other words, He is the Lord of history.
In the second reading, St. Paul links Christ’s resurrection and Adam’s sin: “As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.” (1 Cor 15:22) Thus, while death entered the world through Adam and Eve’s sin, Christ conquered it. And this is not something that happens one day, unforeseen, unplanned, randomly. No. Instead, St. Paul’s harkening back to the beginning reminds us that right then and there, after Adam and Eve had sinned, God promised them a Saviour: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen. 3:15) Then, God begins to shepherd His people throughout history and does so until the awaited Saviour arrives. Yet, this is not something that is outside of His purview or plan. God is King of the Universe and Lord of history; He has always been and continues to be today.
Then, let us allow this Solemnity of Christ’s Kingship to be a reminder that even amid the difficult situations we find ourselves in, including a worldwide pandemic, our Lord continues to be who guides the course of history. Let us be renewed in our hope by considering and pondering that if Christ reign continues “until he has put all enemies under his feet,” the last enemy being death (1 Cor 15:25-26), then He is also able to bring good out of the evils that face us today. That just as He shepherd His people throughout history, He continues to do so today.
Finally, St Paul also reminds us that we who belong to Christ will also be made alive in Him. Thus, let us fix our eyes on the promise of everlasting life in the Kingdom of our God, and let us do so by exerting ourselves in every kind of good. As the Gospel reminds us, whatever we do for the least of our brothers we do to Christ, we do to our King.
Santiago Torres – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Andrea Leopardi/Unsplash.com