Sunday, November 23 • Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
He [God the Father] delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. — Colossians 1: 13
The idea of a kingdom is an interesting concept to ponder. Look around at the kingdoms active in our world and one typically sees great power and wealth; some are headed by people who want the best for their people and some are surrounded by corruption and self-interest. The late Pope Francis, in a November 20, 2016 homily, wrote of Jesus’ kingdom, “the grandeur of his kingdom is not power as defined by this world, but the love of God, a love capable of encountering and healing all things.” Someone once wrote that Jesus had more of a “kindom” than a kingdom in mind, where everyone is meant to be loving siblings to others. What a world that would be! It requires that followers of Jesus’ Way would honor God through compassionate encounters with everyone, even those who may seem very different, from the very poor to perceived enemies.
This is reaffirmed in Pope Leo’s new apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, “I have loved you.” He writes, “Jesus’ teaching on the primacy of love for God is clearly complemented by his insistence that one cannot love God without extending one’s love to the poor. Love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God, as the Apostle John attests: ‘No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. . .God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them’ (1 Jn 4:12,16). The two loves are distinct yet inseparable. Even in cases where there is no explicit reference to God, the Lord himself teaches that every act of love for one’s neighbor is in some way a reflection of divine charity: ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25:40)”(26). This is a grassroots kingdom.
Pope Francis reflected that, “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of people and in their ability to organize. It is in their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction. . .” The vision is a “kindom” and it is in our hands to make it present now.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC