King and Shepherd Reflections on the Readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Cycle C

If you haven't read the readings yet, go here.

2 Samuel 5:1-3
Psalm 122
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43

This solemnity comes at the end of the Liturgical Year and takes the place of the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Thus the daily masses after this solemnity are referred to as the (day of the week) of the 34th week in ordinary time and the vestments will still be green. It is one of the few solemnities that has different readings for each year in the three-year liturgical cycle. Next Sunday marks the beginning of Advent as we joyfully await the coming of the Lord on Christmas.

Today’s selection from the Old Testament comes at the conclusion of the struggles between King Saul and David. Saul’s jealousy over David’s successes in battle had led him to take up arms against David (1 Samuel 18). Saul has been defeated and has been slain, against the orders of David. David had repeatedly refused to harm the anointed king of Israel (see 1 Samuel 10:1). Up to this point David had been acting as the king of the Judahites while Saul was king of all of Israel. Now, with the death of Saul and with David’s victories, the people come to make David king of Israel. In doing so they cite the Lord telling David, “You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel."

Recall that David was also a shepherd. When he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13) he had been out tending the sheep. When he was brought in the Lord told Samuel that David was the chosen one. Later, when David first came into the service of Saul, the king, he had also been tending the sheep when he was called. Jesus, son of David, referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd (John chapter 10). Even at the time of meeting with Goliath, David had been going back and forth from the battle to tend his father’s (Jesse) sheep. When David proposed to meet Goliath Saul told him he was a youth and not a warrior. But David replied that he had fought off lions and bears in defense of his flock, much like Jesus will always defend His flock and seek out the lost to bring them home (see 1 Samuel 17:31-37, John 10:1-18).

Jesus is the new David, the King of Israel, 0f the whole world, and of the universe. We see His anointing at His baptism by John in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the form of a dove, and the Father exclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, My favor rests on Him” (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, John 1:32).

After the events in the first reading, David took over the stronghold of Zion, Jerusalem. Thus, in the responsorial psalm we hear, "’We will go up to the house of the LORD.’ And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.” The tribes go up to Jerusalem, they “go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” Entering the House of the Lord is cause for rejoicing, just as we should rejoice every time we go to Mass (in the house of the Lord).

In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians we read again about the primacy of Jesus, “the firstborn of all creation,” a characteristic of His Kingship. Paul tells us so much about Jesus’ Kingship and His role in the Church that we could do a whole reflection on this passage alone (which, by the way, is repeated often as part of the evening prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours).

In Jesus “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” We are also now in the light having been delivered from darkness and have received a share in His inheritance. We learn that “all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.” We can relate His holding all things together to Jesus’ declaration “without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Paul also refers to Him as the beginning. Similarly, we read in John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” (John 1:1-3) Not only was He the beginning of Creation but He was also the beginning of new life, brought about by His death and resurrection.

“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.”

The gospel reading takes us directly to the Crucifixion. Here we see Jesus being further humiliated by those sneering at Him, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." In another moment of truth from Pontius Pilate, who having Truth Himself before him, asked, “what is truth?” (John 18:38), Pilate has a declaration placed above Jesus that said, "This is the King of the Jews." This inscription was written in three languages, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. From the Latin we get the term “INRI,” which is on all crucifixes, and translates to Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

We also have the exchange between the two thieves being crucified with Jesus, one who reviles Him and the other who recognizes His Kingship, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." For His defense of Jesus’ innocence and His recognition of Jesus as Lord Jesus tells him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Thus, as we come to the end of the Liturgical Year we close out the story of the Incarnation for this year (the Resurrection is dealt with after Easter). Now we go on to Advent to prepare again for His coming into time to redeem His people.

Deacon Keith Fournier, writing about the importance of this solemnity, notes that it focuses on Jesus’ coming to earth and entering time. We often think of being slaves to time, since we cannot change it but Deacon Keith notes that time is actually a gift, enabling us to change how we live, to truly live in Christ. In fact, it can be a part of our duty to evangelize.

“Our choice to truly live the Christian year, in a compelling and inviting way, can become a profoundly important form of missionary activity in an age which has become deluded by the barrenness of secularism. A robust, evangelically alive and symbolically rich practice of living liturgically can invite our neighbors to examine their lives and be drawn to Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End - as the emptiness of a life without God fails to fulfill the longing in their own hearts.” Deacon Keith’s entire essay may be found here.

This is important not only for our Catholic neighbors but also those of Protestant denominations or even non-Christians. Some of the most faithful readers of my reflections are non-Catholics.

But we must recall that our time is not our own. Even the demon, Screwtape, addressed this, urging his protégé to concentrate on the idea of possession in order to lead his target astray, by making him think his time is his own. “The man can neither make, nor retain, one moment of time; it all comes to him by pure gift; he might as well regard the sun and moon as his chattels.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)