This Sunday we conclude the Church’s liturgical year with the celebration of the Feast of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, usually called Christ the King. This feast honors the final victory of Jesus at the end of time when He comes in glory to reign as King of all Creation.
That final victory is sometime in the future, but we acknowledge Jesus Christ as our King now. In fact, that is what the name Jesus Christ means. “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Both mean the Anointed One.
All Kings in Israel were anointed as King, but the word “Christ” or “Messiah” eventually came to refer only to a future king. So, the name Jesus Christ actually means Jesus the King, or King Jesus.
What does it mean to make Jesus our King? First of all, we simply acknowledge that He is the Son of God who has become human, and dwelt among us, that He suffered and died on the Cross for us, and that He rose from the dead. Having returned to the right hand of the Father, He reigns already, but at the end of time, He will put all His enemies under His feet, and His rule will be complete.
Secondly, to make Jesus King of our lives, we must turn our will and our lives over to Him. Our lives are not our own. They belong to Him. Our wills are not our own. They, too, belong to Him. We seek to live our lives according to His will and His plan for us, as best as we can discern His will and plan. The only thing that matters is to please Christ and to serve Him. In doing so, we discover our true selves, and we open ourselves to His blessings and love.
In the Our Father we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” So, we are regularly praying for the final victory of Jesus whenever we pray that prayer.
–Fr. Mike Comer
