The Solemnity of Christ the King brings us to the end of the ordinary time of the year in the liturgical calendar. It draws our attention to God’s original design for humanity and to the surprising way is fulfilled in Jesus. If we listen attentively to today’s readings, we will discover a behavioral pattern that stretches from the first pages of the Sacred Scripture to the final word of the Gospel. God gives us authority as a vocation of care, and a call to collaborate with Him in the plan of creation. But right from the beginning, humanity has always struggled to exercise authority and liberty in accordance with God’s initial plan.
Ever before sin
entered the world, God entrusted humanity with a mission. Genesis 2:15 says that God placed Adam and Eve in
the garden “to till and keep it”. The Hebrew verbs used here are quite striking: Ābad means not
only “to work” but also “to serve” and even “to worship.” Šāmar means
“to keep,” but also “to guard,” “to watch over,” and in many cases, “to observe
God’s commands.” These two verbs are used throughout the Old Testament to
describe the ministry of priests in the sanctuary (Cfr Numbers 3: 7-8; Deuteronomy 10:8). In other words, the first
human is presented as kind of priest-guardian of creation. His exercise of
authority should begin as a service, the worship of His Creator and protection of
creation. He had to confront the temptation of domination and
self-assertion.
Genesis 3 reveals
the fall of humanity into this temptation of domination. The temptation was not simply about eating the
forbidden fruit; it was primarily about seizing control of the creation and
redefining “Good and Evil” on human own terms. This ancient temptation echoes through history. It appears in certain moments of the secular humanism that places human being at the center of reality without reference to God's revelation. As a result of this, the
power given to humans to “serve and guard” became instruments of self-assertion,
in total opposition to God’s will. The
failure of Adam and Eve fractured human relationships and the created order,
leaving a longing in the human heart for rightful leadership.
That longing is
visible in today’s first reading (Cfr 2 Samuel 5:1–3). The tribes of Israelites came to David remembering
how he shepherded them even before he was king. David’s kingship is valued
because he embodies something of that original vocation of humanity: to serve,
take care of, and protect. But the Old
Testament also remembers kings who did the opposite. Ezekiel 34 indicts rulers
who “feed themselves” instead of the flock. The story of the Israelites,
therefore, becomes a search for the Shepherd-King who will finally fulfil God’s
plan.
Paul’s letter to
the Colossians 1:12–20 gives the answer using strong images. Christ is “the
image of the invisible God,” the one through whom all things were made and in
whom “all things hold together.” Paul insists that this cosmic Lord is the same
one who reconciled creation “by making peace through the blood of His cross.”
The kingship of Jesus is therefore a restorative rule that reorders the world by His self-giving love. In
theological language, where Adam’s disobedience wounded creation, Christ, the
New Adam (cf. Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 15), represents and effects the healing much needed,
bringing the exercise of authority back to what God originally intended.
Today’s Gospel
(Luke 23:35–43) brings to perfection that original plan of God. It invites us to contemplate the paradox of the
kingship of Christ. Jesus is mocked as a
king precisely because he refused to use force to save himself. The leader and
soldiers cannot imagine authority expressed through vulnerability. This is the
reason why St Paul says that for the Jews and Greek, a Crucified King is a
“Scandal” and “Foolishness” (Cfr 1 Corinthians 1:23).
Even at the final moment of life, humanity still remains confronted with two fundamental choices: to acknowledge its sins and ask for God's mercy, or to persist in self-assertion, and pride, thereby risking the loss of salvation. On the Calvary, one criminal joins
the chorus of mockery; while the other perceives what most people has missed. In the Crucified he sees
“Innocence, Majesty, Love and Mercy" expresses his conversion of heart. Such a prayer touches the heart of God. Jesus responded to him saying: “Today you
will be with me in Paradise.” Here lies the paradox: the true throne of the King
is the Cross; his crown is mercy; his reign is realized in repentance,
forgiveness, and welcome. Salvation begins is present “today,” and the
kingdom becomes visible wherever wounded souls receive healing, sinners return to God and are forgiven, and human dignity restored by
the Crucified King.
For us Christians
(parents, managers, teachers, volunteers, parish leaders, neighbors), this
feast reorients how we understand authority. Do we replicate the pattern of Genesis 3? How do we use authority,
influence, or freedom entrusted to us? Do we grasp authority to defend our ego, to humiliate, and control others? Or do we let
Christ form us, so that our authority becomes service, protection of the most
vulnerable, reconciling broken relations, speaking words of healing to wounded souls?
To allow Christ to
reign in our lives is to let Him way of being reshape our own: listening
without being judgmental, protecting others, prioritizing the weak rather than
the influential, admitting our mistakes and asking for forgiveness.
Today, let us invite
the thief’s prayer into our own life: “Remember me, Lord.” May the crucified King teach us that real
power heals, real leadership restores, and real greatness is measured by
compassion and forgiveness. In accepting this kind of reign, we become partners in God’s work
of renewal, small signs of the kingdom in our world.
May God bless us all as we embrace His call today!
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