King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Handel's Hallelujah Chorus hammers home with majesty and dignity the magnificent title given to Jesus in the Book of Revelation, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev 17:14); today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the final Sunday in Ordinary Time. The feast was introduced in 1925 by Pope Pius XI in his Encyclical, Quas Primas, to counteract growing secularism and disrespect for the authority and teachings of the Church. It was a call to the faithful to a change of heart and a return to Jesus Christ, as THE leader, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our hearts and lives. The need for such a change has increased dramatically since 1925. The title King, might evoke some negative reaction since not all Kings have been exemplary leaders. Yet, Jesus himself used the title and the term kingdom of heaven, but never intended to establish an earthly kingdom. When Pilate asked Jesus if he were a king, Jesus replied: " I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is not of this world." (Jn 18: 33b). In Mark 10: 43-45, Jesus describes the kind of leadership he represents: "Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. for even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." We expect our leaders, especially our Church leaders to follow this example, but in them and in ourselves we are disappointed as our sinfulness inteferes with this lofty goal. That is why it is necessary each year (each day) to renew our Christian Vocation to work for "a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, and a kingdom of justice, love, and peace." (Preface of Christ the King). A big order. May our humble prayer today be for Christ reign in our hearts, for we cannot bring about his kingdom by ourselves.
Bro. Rene