Reflections of Caritas

November 20th, 2016 – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Written by Kollin Petrie | Nov 23, 2016 8:00:00 PM

“Above him there was an inscription that read, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” – Luke 23:38 

In olden days, the king would have been the strongest warrior in a tribe. He had the power to defend his kinsmen and the wits to defeat their enemies. He was the one who could unite the clans and lead the charge into battle. 

This Sunday we proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King. Yet, He doesn’t quite seem to fit the mold of a great warrior. He didn’t carry a sword, and his army only consisted of twelve rag-tag men. He commanded His soldiers to love their enemies and to look after the poor. He wore a crown, but it was made of thorns. What a very strange king indeed. 

As He hung on the cross dying, a sign was placed above Jesus’ head that said He was the King of the Jews. This mockery was, ironically, true. Bystanders thought they were watching a criminal suffer the sentence for his crime. But, in reality, they were witnessing the God-king lead the charge into battle against the Ancient Adversary. 

With love as His weapon, He tossed all selfish concern for His own life aside and stormed the gates of Hell. He fought to bring back every son and daughter ever stolen by the savages of sin. And crying out “It is finished!” He cut down Death at its source. 

Yes, Christ truly is a warrior king, but His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). His battle is “not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). Through His death and resurrection He established Himself as King over the whole universe – visible, and invisible; natural, and supernatural. 

And we are His soldiers. In a recent address at the University of Notre Dame, Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia explained that, in the words of C.S. Lewis, “Christianity is a ‘fighting religion’ – not in the sense of hatred or violence directed at other persons, but rather in the spiritual struggle against the evil in ourselves and in the world around us, where our weapons are love, justice, courage and self-giving.” 

We must be willing to take up the armor of light and of love to fight against our own sinful inclinations. We must follow our King into battle by laying down our lives to save those in need. As St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen famously said, “Woe to me if I should prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain.” 

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Lord Jesus, give us the strength to follow your example of self-sacrificial love. Amen.  

Written by Kollin Petrie, CARITAS Theology Content Writer. Kollin graduated from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology. He is the Youth Minister at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in West Bend, Wisconsin.