November 24, 2019: Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

We rejoice greatly this great Feast day:  Christ is our King, largely because His moment of triumph came durring His Passion, a portion of which is depicted in today’s Gospel reading from St. Luke.

Jesus was crucified, and the charge above Him read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

While many mocked Him, a thief crucified near Him, recognizing his sin and Jesus as his savior, pleaded for mercy, that Jesus would remember him when He came into His Kingdom.  Jesus promised Paradise for this repentant thief.

And so He promises Paradise to all of us who acknowledge the reign that is rightly His because He died, and rose again to save us from sins.

He is truly above all, because He created all things.  And like His ancestor David, who was anointed King of Israel, Jesus was anointed to the the suffering King, anointed for the purpose of dying to bring us to the new, abundant Life we now have in Him.  As St. Paul writes in the Epistle to the Colossians, Jesus is truly "firstborn from the dead".

He promises that we will join His reign in its fullness one day as we strive to be faithful subjects in His Kingdom, which we bring to this earth even now as we abide in His ways of mercy and love.