YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE (11)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

HOMILY THEME: SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING; A REMINDER AND AN INVITATION

BY: Fr. Cyril Unachukwu CCE

HOMILY:

The Lord is truly King with majesty enrobed! He reigns wherever His Will is desired and done, in Heaven and on earth. He reigns in our hearts and He is the supreme model of sovereignty and power and from Him comes all authority, in heaven and on earth, and His Kingdom will have no end. May Christ reign in our hearts and may His reign within us transform us into agents for the spread of His Kingdom in the world; Amen.

Today being the Last Sunday in the Church’s Liturgical Calender, the Holy Mother Church crowns her year-long spiritual pilgrimage with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King, a celebration that is itself both a reminder and an invitation. Firstly, a reminder that the goal of our earthly pilgrimage is to partake both temporarily in this life and eternally in the life to come in the reign of God; and then secondly, an invitation to recognise, profess and proclaim the Kingship of Christ, and by so doing allow Christ to reign in our lives and then allow ourselves, strengthened by our experience of the reign of Christ, to become fruitful agents for the promotion of God’s Kingdom in the world.

The readings of today speak to us profusely and profoundly about this Kingdom. The First Reading (Dan 7:13-14), continuing the apocalyptic message of the Prophet Daniel speaks to us about the universality and the eternity of the sovereignty and kingdom of God; “on Him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became His servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty.” Our minds immediately go to our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is found the fulfillment of these prophesies and by whose merits we enter into the royal family of God for “He loves us and has washed away our sins with His blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve His God and Father” (Rev 1:5-8). By the merits of Christ’s salvific mission and by virtue of our baptism, we share in the threefold functions of King, Priest and Prophet, that not only stabilise us as royals, members of the household of the King, but also as agents and stewards of the King for the growth of His Kingdom. Certainly, “mine is not a Kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews” (John 18:33-37). This King came to serve and not to be served! This King understands the predicaments of all those under His charge! This King is full of love for His people! He guides and leads His subjects to greener pastures and He is always true to His name and to His Word! His Kingdom is constitutive of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). Christ the King remains the model of sovereignty and kingship for all those in positions of authority who leaders must emulate to become true and fruitful leaders in their respective territories and promoters of the reign of God. How can one be a true and fruitful agent for the promotion of the reign of God’s Kingdom? God reigns where His Will is done! To be a true and fruitful agent for the promotion of the Kingdom of God involves doing the Will of God.

May God grant us the grace to subordinate our wills to His Will and by freely doing His Will nourish the spread of His Kingdom in the world; Amen.

Happy Sunday; Fr Cyril CCE