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Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Ezekiel 34:11–12, 15–17 1 Corinthians 15:20–26, 28 Matthew 25:31–46
You do not need to be very clever
to know that something is wrong with this world.
Just listen to the news.
Wars.
Violence.
Hunger.
Poverty.
Families broken.
People forgotten.
The powerful of this world hold meeting after meeting.
They promise peace.
They promise justice.
They promise a better future.
But the wounds remain.
Today the Church says:
Jesus Christ is King of the Universe.
But what kind of king is He?
The prophet Ezekiel gives the answer.
He is not first presented as a warrior,
or a ruler sitting far away on a throne.
He is presented as a shepherd.
I myself will look after my sheep.
I myself will rescue them.
I will seek the lost.
I will bring back the strayed.
I will bind up the injured.
I will heal the sick.
This is the kingship of God.
God reigns by seeking.
By rescuing.
By healing.
By gathering what has been scattered.
Then Saint Paul shows us the final horizon.
Christ is risen from the dead.
He reigns until every enemy is placed under His feet.
And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
This means that the Kingdom of Christ
is not a small improvement of the world.
It is the victory of life over death.
The victory of mercy over sin.
The victory of God over every power that destroys His children.
But the Gospel brings this great vision
very close to us.
Jesus says that at the end of history,
the King will judge all nations.
And what will He ask?
Not first:
How famous were you?
How successful were you?
How powerful were you?
How much did you know?
He will say:
I was hungry.
I was thirsty.
I was a stranger.
I was naked.
I was sick.
I was in prison.
And you cared for Me.
This is surprising.
The King of the Universe hides Himself
in the hungry,
the thirsty,
the stranger,
the sick,
the prisoner,
the forgotten.
We often look for Christ in great things.
But He waits for us in the small acts of mercy
we can do today.
A daughter caring for her old mother.
A husband faithful to his wife.
A wife creating peace in the home.
A student giving time to someone in need.
A neighbor visiting the lonely.
No cameras.
No applause.
No headlines.
But the Kingdom of God is growing there.
Jesus does not give us this Gospel
only to explain the end of the world.
He gives it to change the world now.
The parable of the Final Judgment does not need many explanations.
It needs action.
The hungry are still here.
The thirsty are still here.
The strangers are still here.
The sick and prisoners are still here.
The lonely and forgotten are still here.
And Christ is still here in them.
So:
Do I recognize my King?
Do I serve Him where He is hidden?
Do I help make this world more like His Kingdom?
Christ the King does not reign like the kings of this world.
He reigns as Shepherd.
He reigns from the Cross.
He reigns in mercy.
And He invites us to reign with Him
by learning how to care.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Mark
Year of Mark - Get it from Amazon
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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