Today is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. When I saw that on my calendar, I thought, what a cool title. King of the Universe. It sounds at first expansive, all-encompassingly powerful. However, it is not all-encompassing. It’s one title of many. The universe is only one of Christ’s realms. That’s what makes the title even cooler; King of the Universe is such a grand title, but even it falls short.
However, the
day is normally shortened to Christ the King Sunday. While it sounds less
impressive, the more I thought about it, the more I found just Christ the King
to be a better description. The title king is not attached to a specific place
or people, instead it is a description. Christ is prophet, priest, and king. He’s
king of the Jews, of the universe, of creation, of heaven and earth.
The royal
title and his humble life is intentional. The Jews were waiting for a very
traditional king: royal birth, wealth, power, respect. He was supposed to take
control of the land and lead armies. But Jesus didn’t do that. He was born into
an unimpressive family. He had no home or belongings. He had no political power.
He led no battles. He died a poor criminal’s death. He overturned our
preconceptions of what king means. But that’s because our preconceptions are
limited, earthly ideas. As always, there is so much more.
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