“There is a higher power, a higher influence, a God who rules and reigns and controls circumstances and situations that are beyond your area and realm of authority.” Bishop T.D. Jakes

You are a subject of Christ the King. That has implications: Here are seven:

1. You are an heir to the throne. From this week”s Second Reading from Colossians:

“Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.” You’re not a slave. You’re not just a servant. You’re one of the “King’s Kids.” Like we hear during the Rite of Baptism, “You are a Child of God.” This has further ramifications:

2. An heir to the King means you have a job to do - specifically chosen for you by the King. In 1988 St. Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Exhortation, The Lay Members of Gods Faithful People or Christifideles Laici. In it the Holy Father gave you your marching orders:

All the baptized are called to work towards the transformation of the world. Most do this in the secular realm. Their activity is so necessary, that without it, the activity of the pastors will frequently be unable to obtain its full effects.”

Notice - the baptized - the lay faithful - not priests.

3. Again, from Colossians today: “For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” If you don’t do what the man from Nazareth says, you will be unfulfilled. You will wander around in this world with no purpose. Eventually you will not be happy. This is sad - because The King wishes to give an order - so that resources and people are placed at your disposal to move into a higher realm.

Leads up to point 4 ….

Look at today’s First Reading from 2 Samuel. “And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd my people … and you shall be a commander.'” Let’s look at the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8:9, “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers subject under me.” You have authority! It has been given to you by nature of your Baptism. You are subject to higher authority but …. you will ALSO have people and resources subject to you.

5. You will have a hard time. 1 Peter 4:13-14. “Beloved, if you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed…. It means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you.”St. Faustina once said, “I KNOW when I am doing something for the Lord that is going to be spectacular - because the forces against me are fighting so hard!”

6. Like all subjects of the King, we don’t have the full picture. Spoiler alert - like all people in high authority, he’s not giving it to you. You operate on a “need to know” basis in the Kingdom of God.”

This can be very frustrating. This can build fear into the equation.

However ….

7. There’s a reset button. When you mess up, Christ the King ALWAYS offers you an opportunity to start again. “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

 

One Scripture scholar at S. Charles Borromeo Church writes that in ancient Israel, during the time of King David, the people saw a monarchy as the only way out of a situation of internal strife and anarchy. That is still the case today. We are all looking for a way out of our internal strife and anarchy. We appeal to God for him to send help. God answers:

I already did, and you’re it.”

N.T. Wright is an Anglican theological and former bishop. He writes:

Pilate doesn’t know what truth is, because the only truth he knows is the power to kill. What Pilot didn’t get, and the Greeks wouldn’t understand, is that the ultimate power - is foot-washing power, the power of radical, transformative love. And on the cross, as John makes clear, that love goes to work.

The concept of fullness is found in the Old Testament (Isaiah 6:3). The fullness of God – His presence, divinity, and wisdom – is in Christ who shares this with the Church, the church which in turn affects all humanity. The emphasis is not on God’s immanence, but on the cosmic effect of God’s power working in Christ - and in the Church. (St. Charles Borromeo Church).