Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Sisters and friends, as we celebrate this great feast of Christ the King, I am reminded of recent events in the news: namely, the “No Kings” protests that have taken place in various parts of our country this year. As I understand it, these protest demonstrations were intended to highlight what some believe are the highly authoritarian actions of our current President. While I won’t dare say anything about the merits of their assertions… frankly, I haven’t researched them enough to know what they are, precisely… I can acknowledge that there is something very “American” about standing up and protesting against anything that smells like a return to the autocratic rule of a king. The very reason why we declared independence nearly 250 years ago was to free ourselves from the autocratic rule of a king; and, for nearly 250 years, we’ve been striving to “govern ourselves” through a representational government. To put it simply: resisting being ruled by a king is something fundamental to being American. (Hopefully, this is something on which we can all agree.)
As Christians, however, we acknowledge that we serve a king–the King… Jesus Christ; and so how do we square this truth with our fundamental American resistance to being ruled over by a king? In other words, how can we, as Christian Americans, both allow ourselves to be ruled by a King, while at the same time resist being ruled by a king? Turns out that the answer is, “Not very easily”, but let’s take a look at why.
To start, we should ask the question, “How is the King different than other kings (or, of the ephemeral “autocratic king” against which Americans recently protested)? It starts, of course, with the fact that the King, is not autocratic. In other words, he’s not a king that rules over his subjects with an iron fist, believing, first and foremost, that his subjects serve him, instead of viewing his position as one of service to his subjects (the service of seeing them flourish). Autocratic kings tend to be self-absorbed, believing that they need to hoard power and authority in themselves–either from conceit or from a fear that they will lose the kingship should they let power escape from their control. The King, Jesus Christ, shows us that a true king is more like a shepherd: one who uses his position and authority to serve those he governs, assuring their safety and striving to foster the conditions for their health and flourishing. The King himself even described himself in this way: “I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.” The King, Jesus Christ, is different from autocratic kings because he sees the kingship as a call to serve those he governs, and not as an office who must be served by those subject to him.
Another way that the King is different is that he has a kingship that does not pass away. One of the pressures that worldly kings must face is that one day they will die, and the kingship that they hold will be passed to another. Thus, they often feel like they need to consolidate power to ensure a smooth transition to an heir. If the king is autocratic, he’ll take steps to make sure that the “heir” is someone he’s handpicked to ensure that his legacy of rule will continue after he dies. The King, Jesus Christ, has a kingship that will never pass away. Thus, he has no reason to worry about handing over his power to another, and so no reason to play “favorites” as he looks for an “heir” to succeed him on the throne. No, through each subsequent generation, he can continue to shepherd his people without fear that he will lose any of the power and authority of his kingship.
We see this in the Scriptures, right? Throughout the Gospels, Jesus never seeks to take power and authority away from anyone. Whenever he performed a miracle and the people who witnessed it wanted to acclaim him king, he moved away from there and would not let them follow through. Whenever he challenged the scribes and Pharisees, he never called for them to be removed from their posts and that he would take their place. He never really made political statements against the Roman governors, but rather reminded the people over and over again not to become overly occupied by political authority; instead, he pointed them to the kingdom of God, which was their true home.
In fact, the most that he asserted his kingship was when he entered Jerusalem triumphantly (on what we now know as Palm Sunday) and allowed the people to acclaim him as the “Son of David”, the great Israelite king. Even this, however, was not an assertion of power, because, as we would see, this triumphant entry did not lead him to being seated on a royal throne, but rather nailed to the wood of a cross: the shepherd becoming the sacrificial lamb in order to save all the sheep.
This is why today we read this account from Luke’s gospel. It is the image of Christ the King mounted on the only earthly throne he ever accepted; and this not because he was defeated, but because it was precisely through this that he would save his sheep and return triumphantly to his eternal throne in God’s kingdom.
And so, no, my dear Sisters and friends, as Americans, it is not easy to square the idea of honoring a king… our “American sensibilities” naturally cringe at the idea. Nevertheless, we should not fear to acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ as the King… and, thus, our King. Because he is the only king who cannot be corrupted and, thus, who will always rule so as to serve the flourishing of his people. But this can only happen if we subject ourselves to him.
And that’s the rub, isn’t it? Can we let our Good King be Lord over our lives? Sisters, this is a little bit of a rhetorical question for you. You’ve allowed Jesus, our King, to be Lord over your life and to call you out from the world into the cloister. And all of you (except our newest sister) have made vows of obedience, which gives further sign that you continue to allow Jesus, our King, to be Lord over your lives, trusting that his will comes to you through the legitimate instructions of Mother Abbess. Nonetheless, it is still fruitful for each of you to reflect on whether there are any areas of your lives that you have yet to submit to the lordship of Jesus. Perhaps it’s most fruitful to begin by reflecting on the good that has already come to you by allowing Jesus to be Lord over your life, so that, if you encounter any area of your life that still has not been turned over to him, you might readily do so, trusting that the Lord will bring the same (or better) good that he has already brought into your life.
For all of us on this side of the grate, the same question certainly applies: Can I let our Good King be Lord over my life? The challenge is greater for us, as we have much more control still. Nevertheless, the invitation is the same: to reflect on the good that has come from turning over certain areas of our lives to the lordship of Jesus, our King, and then to identify those other areas that still need to be turned over to him. Then, trusting that he will supply the same good that he supplied when we turned over those first areas to him, we make an act of submission, giving Jesus permission to be Lord over this area of our lives, too. Friends, if we can make this a regular part of our growth in discipleship, there’s no telling how his kingdom might grow in our midst. And so do not be afraid to submit everything to him! Jesus Christ is the King, the Good Shepherd, who desires only to lead us into restful pastures. ///
Thinking back to those “No Kings” protest demonstrations, I had a funny thought about a missed opportunity. Wouldn’t it have been something if we Christians would have shown up to those protests with our own “counter-protest”–a “Yes Kings” protest, if you will: a procession honoring Christ our King, led by an image of him crucified, inviting all Americans to acknowledge the one true King. That would’ve have been something, wouldn’t it?
My dear Sisters and friends, if we truly live our lives under the lordship of Jesus, we’ll have done the same, for all will come to see the goodness of allowing Christ to be King over our lives. Strengthened by this Eucharist, may our lives daily proclaim this truth that Christ is King of the Universe. Long live Christ the King!
Given at the Monastery of the Poor Clares: Kokomo, IN – November 23rd, 2025
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