D. N. Iesu Christi Regis - A Kingdom Not of This World
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PRESENTATION: The nature of Christ’s Kingdom
PRESENTATION: The nature of Christ’s Kingdom
In today’s Gospel, as Our Lord stands before Pilate, He is questioned about whether He is a King. While He never claims the title of king for Himself, He does say that he has a kingdom.
Douay-Rheims Bible Chapter 18
My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence.
He declares that His Kingdom is not of this world, so how do we square that with the intentions of Pope Pius XI in his encyclical creating this feast day where he says:
The Papal Encyclicals: 1903–1939 197: Quas primas
It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power.
He goes still further, quoting Pope Leo XIII who said:
The Papal Encyclicals: 1903–1939 197: Quas primas
“His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ.”
If Christ is the King, not just in a spiritual sense but in a very real way, over all mankind, and not sometime in the future but right here and right now, how are we to understand Our Lord’s words to Pilate?
Christ’s Kingship is not of this world, because in every way it is opposed to the worldly vision of a King.
As Christ appears before Pilate, he is not adorned in fine jewels, he is bound in chains. When He receives His crown it is not one of gold, but of thorns. When He mounts His throne, it is not a regal seat covered in expensive fabrics, it is a Cross. When He looks out upon His subjects His is not clothed in fine robes, but is stripped of everything He has. When He goes to battle against Satan, His foe, He does not shed the blood of soldiers, but His own Precious Blood.
Christ is our king right here and right now, but His Kingdom is truly not of this world.
EXPLANATION: St. Martin’s vision of Christ the King
EXPLANATION: St. Martin’s vision of Christ the King
We might be tempted to think that the poverty of Our King was only true while He was here during His earthly mission. After all, He is reigning gloriously in heaven right at this moment, and while that is true, the marks of His Kingdom remain ever the same.
Reigning at the right hand of God, Our Lord still keeps His five wounds, still showing them to His Father to intercede for us.
St. Martin told his biographer that he was praying in his monastic cell one day, when there was a blinding light and a figure stood near him, serene and joyous of aspect, wearing a jewelled crown and a royal robe, and golden sandals.
St. Martin gazed in bewilderment and for a time the two were silent. Then the apparation spoke: “Martin, behold me, I am the Christ, come down to earth, and I desired to reveal myself to thee before all others.” St. Martin remained silent, and the speaker continued: “Well, Martin, can you not believe your own eyes? I am the Christ!”
Then the holy bishop, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, knew that it was the devil and not the Lord. He answered: “The Lord Jesus did not say He would come robed in purple with a glittering diadem. As for me, I will not believe in the coming of Christ unless He look the same as in the day of His Passion and show me the wounds of His Cross.”
At these words the apparation vanished like smoke and the cell was left full of a vile stench.
Christ’s Kindom is not of this world, and remaines marked by humility and poverty, not glory and riches.
IMPLICATION: Christianity is our culture
IMPLICATION: Christianity is our culture
Christ is our King, and we are His subjects, and being members of His Kingdom has very real implications for how we are to live our lives.
It means that our allegience to Our King must be total, and come before our loyalty to any other worldly leader, and it means that we must strive to imitate Our King, and adopt the customs of His Kingdom.
If you’ve ever had the experience of moving to a new country, or even taking an extended stay abroad, you know that one of the joys and challenges can be acclimating to new cultural norms, and one of the easiest ways to recognize a newcomer or a tourist can be the behavioural traits that they exhibit, like our famous Canadian politeness that distinguishes us from our neighbours to the south.
In the early centuries of Christianity, Christians were often identified because they no longer followed some of the cultural norms of the Roman Empire, they began acting as though they were foreigners who had different customs, and that’s because they were.
They knew that they were citizens of a different country, of a different kingdom, and began to adopt the culture of their new home. Over the centuries, as Christianity became the dominant religion, it transformed the culture of the world to the culture of Christ. Sadly, the culture of the world has, over the last century, returned displacing the Christian one, but that does not excuse us from living our culture in the midst of the world.
Like the first centuries, it means that we are going to stand out, that we are going to be different, and like Our King, we may be rejected, mocked, and punished for it. Nevertheless, we can be sure that whatever we may suffer for being true to Our King, will be rewarded by Him when we finally make our way home.
As Our King comes before us upon the altar today, let us ask Him to give us the grace and the strength we need to live as true citizens of His Kingdom, rejecting the culture of the world, and embracing our true culture of humility, poverty, and charity.