No matter the season or circumstances, Jesus is King

In just a few days, we will gather around the Table of the Lord for the last Sunday in ordinary time, the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We – incarnate spirits–created in the image and likeness of God–will gather to proclaim our desire to remain faithful subjects of Jesus, King of the Universe. Despite the temptations which we face by the exaggerated lure of freedom, packaged by society in those who speak about the sovereignty of the human condition and the infinite rights that we have by virtue of our being human, we, like Christians before us, concur that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

We may be free but we know that our freedom has its limitations. We can surf the web 24 hours a day but even the wireless world of the internet comes at a cost which sometimes reduces us, humans, to “point and click” idiots, undermining the dignity of who we are.

We can fly, we can float, we can transcend time and space. We’ve been to the moon and to the four corners of the Earth but we will never be totally free from disease, freak accidents, natural disasters, debilitation from aging or the fact that we enter this world alone and we’ll leave it the same way.

Aware of our sinfulness, our powerlessness, the limitations of politics, psychology, sociology and a self-centered existence, our humanity by nature points us toward Him for whom we were created, through whom we were redeemed and to whom we look as the ultimate object of our desire in quest of integral human fulfillment.  

Yes, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, we will opt to ratify our submission to a higher power, to a being who, through the invisible reality of grace, allows us to participate in the life of God and gives meaning to our seemingly incomprehensible world. We will choose to remain subjects of Jesus, the One whose Kingship grounds true freedom, the One whose Kingship guarantees the reality of eternal life–the One, whose Kingship keeps the Church afloat and hope alive.  

In just a few days, we will once again gather around the dining room table and give thanks for our blessings by sharing a prayer, a bountiful feast and the company of loved ones. Afterwards, maybe we’ll enjoy a nap, some football and, top off the meal with pumpkin pie, a kiss goodnight and a sigh of relief that we survived another turbulent week on Wall Street. The truth is, we may not possess as much money as we had last year at Thanksgiving.  But what matters most has not changed: Jesus is King.  

We have to keep our priorities in proper perspective. We have the love of our spouses, children and grandchildren. We have a roof over our heads and food on our tables.  Maybe we’ll have to scale back this year’s Christmas shopping. Maybe we’ll have to settle for driving a Toyota instead of a Mercedes. Maybe we’ll have to vacation on the Jersey Shore instead of Cape Cod. Maybe we’ll have to send our kids to state colleges instead of Ivy League schools–but what matters most has not changed: Jesus is King.

This Thanksgiving is no less important because the economy is topsy-turvy. We still have reason to give thanks to Almighty God for all that we do have–our health, the use of our faculties, clothes on our backs, heat in our homes, the laughter of children, the excitement that comes from learning, the warmth of our pets, good books to read, a parish that cares and a God who loves us unconditionally in  and through Jesus. Yes, what matters most has not changed: Jesus is King!   

Father Comandini serves as diocesan coordinator of the Office for Ongoing Faith Formation.