Today we celebrate with great
solemnity and exaltation that Jesus Christ is the Universal King. He is King
and Lord of Heaven and Earth. He is sovereign over life and death. Here on
Earth, He leads with utmost humility as the Good Shepherd, who lays down His
life for His sheep. Rising from the dead, He became “The first fruits of those
who have fallen asleep.” Thus, the Kingship of Jesus is an eternal sovereignty.
The Gospel of today gives us idea into the nature of His Kingship and how we ought to respond. On the last day, Jesus would sit on His glorious throne as the Just Judge, separating the righteous from the unrighteous. The criteria for welcoming people into the Heavenly Kingdom depend on the acts of charity they performed on earth. “Come, O blessed of my Father...for I was hungry and you gave me food...” The formula is simple: the glorious King identified those who identified Him in the midst of “the least of these my brethren.” Human weakness and suffering have become a stepping stone to salvation!
The hungry, the thirsty, the naked, etc are all around us. Thus, the glorious King has made it possible for all to have the opportunity to enter into His Kingdom. He identified Himself with the suffering humanity; He suffers with the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, etc. Just as the sheep hears the voice of the shepherd, Christ’s faithful recognize Him in human sufferings. It is from this humble state that His mighty power shines out. His power is made visible in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). If giving Christ food in the hungry can earn one a place in Heaven, how much more the hungry man himself in whom Christ dwells? He becomes a ‘sacramental’ of grace. Hence, human suffering and lowliness have become a kind of 'ruling sceptre' with which Jesus uplifts fallen humanity and shepherds us to eternal life.
Since every authority and power are subject to Jesus, we must learn from Him in our little exercise of authority. Government policies would uplift a nation if they are primarily targeted at the lowly in the populace. Our exercise of authority should strengthen people in their weakness. A good leader recognizes the hunger, thirst, nakedness, imprisonment, etc in his subjects and leads them to satisfaction. Jesus the Universal King, the First Born of all creation, the First Fruit from the dead, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, has given us access to His Kingdom as we attend to the least of our brethren. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday November 22nd,
2020.
Solemnity of Christ the King.
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