\u00a0On today\u2019s Solemnity of Christ the King, we celebrate the glorious reign of Jesus over the entire universe, both spiritual and material. We reflect on His divine authority. We ponder the Last Judgement. In this feast, we also end the liturgical year looking forward to the time when Christ will come again in glory to establish His kingdom definitively in a new heaven and a new earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all this in view, the gospel passage the Church offers us this year is striking. Rather than showing us the glory of the Resurrection or the Ascension, we instead see a very different side of Jesus\u2019 kingship. We see Jesus near death, mocked by those around Him. Only one person in the gospel acknowledges His authority, and this person is a condemned criminal, hanging on a cross beside Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why this passage? Perhaps because it is a reminder of how we encounter God\u2019s kingdom in the present state of the world. Yes, we pray for the coming of God\u2019s kingdom, but His kingdom is already present. It has not come in its fullness, but Jesus\u2019 reign is not only at the end of time. That is why, when the good thief asked Jesus to remember him \u201cwhen you come into your kingdom\u201d (Lk. 23:42), Jesus could respond, \u201ctoday<\/em> you will be with me in Paradise\u201d (v. 43). In other words, Jesus establishes His kingdom on the Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is easy to forget, in the midst of the suffering, sorrows, and scandals of this world, that Jesus\u2019 reign has begun. It is in humble obedience to the Father amidst the trials of life that the kingdom of God takes root. This gospel encourages us to have the tremendous faith of the good thief, seeing our King, Saviour, and God even in a bloodied, mocked, crucified man. If we are discouraged by the shabby or even shameful appearance of God\u2019s kingdom in this world, let\u2019s not forget how that kingdom began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew Sheedy<\/strong> \u2013 St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fot. Ricky Turner\/Unsplash.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n