Alpha and Omega

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to apply the image of Christ the King to our lives and relationships today.

Christ the King

In the reading from the Book of Daniel the “Son of Man” is introduced.

* [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels). (Daniel, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 93 praises the Majesty of God’s Rule.

* [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Ps 93:1–2) by defeating the sea (Ps 93:3–4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Ps 93:5). (Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the reading from the Book of Revelation, Christ is envisioned as the Alpha and the Omega.

* [1:5] Freed us: the majority of Greek manuscripts and several early versions read “washed us”; but “freed us” is supported by the best manuscripts and fits well with Old Testament imagery, e.g., Is 40:2.

* [1:8] The Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Rev 22:13 the same words occur together with the expressions “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”; cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8; 21:6; Is 41:4; 44:6. (Revelation, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John is from Jesus' trial before Pilate.

* [18:37] You say I am a king: see Mt 26:64 for a similar response to the high priest. It is at best a reluctant affirmative. (John, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mike Cherney finds consolation with the image of Christ as King was in Ignatius of Loyola’s meditation on The Two Standards. He was not a King focused on riches or pride. He was a leader bringing his troops to virtue. This was the King that he felt drawn to follow. To this day, he finds Ignatius’ chivalrous depiction of the King calling his noble knights to service to be one of the high points of his Spiritual Exercises.

I find myself embracing the words from the second reading, “I am the Alpha and the Omega" says the Lord God. While we end this liturgical year with John’s Gospel, I am reminded how this Gospel began: In the beginning was the Word. I am moved to see the Christ not a stagnant King, but as transcendent through history. That is Christ as God made manifest in this world. A special physical presence in history, but even more as a felt enduring presence in the past, in the world today, and in the future.

The Feast of Christ the King was established in 1925 in response to an increasingly secular world. In his letter establishing this feast, Pope Pius XI seems to express thoughts like those found in Ignatius’ meditation: “This kingdom (of Christ) is spiritual and is concerned with spiritual things …. This kingdom is opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of darkness. (The Kingdom of Christ) demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and thirst after justice, and more than this, they must deny themselves and carry the cross.” (Cherney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “My kingdom is not of the world,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Listen, everyone, Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and uncircumcised. Listen, all kings of the earth. I am no hindrance to your rule in this world, for 'my kingdom is not of this world.' Banish the groundless fear that filled Herod the Great on hearing that Christ was born. More cruel in his fear than in his anger, he put many children to death (Matthew 2:3,16), so that Christ would also die. But 'my kingdom is not of this world,' says Christ. What further reassurance do you seek? Come to the kingdom that is not of this world. Do not be enraged by fear, but come by faith. In a prophecy Christ also said, 'He,' that is, God the Father, 'has made me king on Zion his holy mountain' (Psalm 2:6). But that Zion and that mountain are not of this world.

"What in fact is Christ's kingdom? It is simply those who believe in him, those to whom he said, 'You are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.' He willed, nevertheless, that they should be in the world, which is why he prayed to the Father, 'I ask you not to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one' (John 17:15-16). So here also he did not say, 'My kingdom is not' in this world but 'is not of this world.' And when he went on to prove this by declaring, 'If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the Jews,' he concluded by saying not 'my kingdom is not here' but 'my kingdom is not from here.'

"Indeed, his kingdom is here until the end of time, and until the harvest it will contain weeds. The harvest is the end of the world, when the reapers, who are the angels, will come and gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin (Matthew 13:48-41). And this could not happen if his kingdom were not here. But even so, it is not from here, for it is in exile in the world. Christ says to his kingdom, 'You are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world' (John 15:19). They were indeed of the world when they belonged to the prince of this world, before they became his kingdom. Though created by the true God, everyone born of the corrupt and accursed stock of Adam is of the world. [But] everyone who is reborn in Christ becomes the kingdom that is no longer of the world. For God has snatched us from the powers of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). This is that kingdom of which he said, 'My kingdom is not of this world; my kingly power does not come from here." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 115.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 1:5-8 comments that as we live in the “already” (Jesus has come!) and the “not yet” (Jesus will return and establish his reign forever!), we take time today to declare that Jesus is King, both now and forever.

So what does it mean for us to be citizens of this wonderful, everlasting kingdom? How can the “already,” the “right now,” and the “not yet” truths of this kingdom affect our lives?

• Jesus has already freed you from sin by his blood (Revelation 1:5). You can receive this freedom by faith and Baptism, by repentance, and by staying united to him through the sacraments.

• Nothing can separate you from his love (Romans 8:39). Today, right now, you can invite Jesus to remove any barriers that keep you from experiencing the joys of his kingdom.

• You will one day reign with the Lord (2 Timothy 2:12). It’s awe-inspiring to think of, but in Jesus’ kingdom, “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). If you try to stay close to him in this life, he promises to give you a place near him as he reigns eternally (25:34).

Rejoice today that Jesus is your eternal King. Invite him to reign in your heart even more, as you await his reign of love over the whole world.

“Jesus, I worship you as my King! Come, Lord, and establish your kingdom forever!” (Meditation on Revelation 1:5-8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the theme of persecution in the texts today and the promise in the Book of Daniel that the Son of Man, a title Jesus applies to Himself connected to the Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, will reveal God to the people. The text from Revelation, written during persecution, reassures that God is in charge directing history and Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus is in charge in the dialogue with Pilate as He is to reign and reveal God from the throne of the Cross.

Roger Dawson SJ, Director of St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales, comments that ‘This feast is not to flatter a king with a fragile ego in need of reassurance, but to celebrate in gratitude the love and kindness of someone who is so committed to us that he will not baulk even at death itself.’

In the Nicene Creed there are only two people (apart from Jesus) that are mentioned by name – Pilate and Mary – and again they show this same contrast: Pilate is wealthy, powerful, male, successful, secure, safely married; he has most of the things that many of us desire.  Mary on the other hand, at the Annunciation, is a young woman, pregnant out of wedlock and therefore suspect, and at risk of exclusion from the Jewish community.  She is one of the anawim, the voiceless, the poor who yearn for good news.  Few of us desire to be like this. 

We have these two worlds, two kingdoms.  Only one of them is the Kingdom of God; only one of them is true, eternal and universal.  But which do we choose? Which do we hope for?  For which am I ambitious?  If we are honest with ourselves, very often we would rather be Pilate. (Dawson, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how Jesus uses parables to challenge our ways of thinking. He uses Jesus’ parable about workers in a vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) to illustrate how God’s logic is not our own.

In the evening when he pays them all a day’s wages, the ones who worked all day complain that they deserve more than the ones who worked only a few hours. But the landowner turns to them and asks, “Why are you looking so resentful just because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15). God’s justice is really magnanimity, being more than fair to everybody because God is being true to God’s nature. As Matthew says elsewhere, God makes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike (5:45). In other words, God provides all everyone needs in order to grow.  

We have a hard time with that kind of justice. We’re capitalists, even in the spiritual life. If we work more, we expect more and we don’t know what to do with a God who breaks that rule. Yet God’s justice is just another way of thinking about God’s unconditional love. All through the Gospels, people receive what they don’t deserve. Relentless generosity is hard for us to comprehend, much less practice. That kind of unconditional justice is beyond our human power. Yet the Gospel is showing that it’s possible for Jesus to be fully human and divinely just, because he lived in the power of the Spirit. Likewise, it is possible for all those who, like Jesus, open themselves to receive the Spirit. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We celebrate today Jesus as the beginning and the end of our life mission and seek the help of the Spirit to understand how to apply this to our daily journey.

References

Cherney, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112424.html 

Daniel, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?13 

Dawson, R. (n.d.). Christ the King. Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/christ-king 

John, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/18? 

Meditation on Revelation 1:5-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/24/1135978/ 

Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93?1 

Revelation, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/1? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Jesus Speaks in Parables. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-speaks-in-parables/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). My Kingship Is Not of This World. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov24 

Divine Dominion

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to wrestle with the possible cognitive dissonance of celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Christ and Kingdoms

 

  The reading from the Book of Daniel declares “His dominion is an everlasting dominion.”

* [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels).1 

Psalm 93 praises the Majesty of God’s Rule.

* [93:1] The LORD is king: lit., “the LORD reigns.” This Psalm, and Ps 47; 96–99, are sometimes called enthronement Psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God’s ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.2 

The reading from the Book of Revelation declares ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega.’

* [1:5] Freed us: the majority of Greek manuscripts and several early versions read “washed us”; but “freed us” is supported by the best manuscripts and fits well with Old Testament imagery, e.g., Is 40:2. * [1:8] The Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Rev 22:13 the same words occur together with the expressions “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”; cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8; 21:6; Is 41:4; 44:6.3 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus' Trial before Pilate begins with the question. ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’

* [18:37] You say I am a king: see Mt 26:64 for a similar response to the high priest. It is at best a reluctant affirmative.4 

Steve Scholer asks why did Jesus respond to Pilate’s inquiry the way he did and emphasize the importance of honesty? If we think about it, being truthful goes hand in hand with Jesus’ message of love; first, to love your God above all others, and then, to love your neighbor. For truth is the very cornerstone upon which love is built, and without truth, no relationship, here on earth or in heaven, can survive.

Over time, the added benefit of being truthful with God in all our daily conversations and prayers may be our increased comfort to “testify to the truth” with those we love and with whom we share our lives; to openly share with them our candid thoughts and feelings; and to welcome theirs as well. By practicing truthfulness and honesty in our prayer life and then with our loved ones, we may gain the confidence to rewrite our own personal mission statement and vow to “testify to the truth” to all we meet.5

 

Don Schwager quotes ‘My kingdom is not of the world,’ by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Listen, everyone, Jews and Gentiles, circumcised and uncircumcised. Listen, all kings of the earth. I am no hindrance to your rule in this world, for 'my kingdom is not of this world.' Banish the groundless fear that filled Herod the Great on hearing that Christ was born. More cruel in his fear than in his anger, he put many children to death (Matthew 2:3,16), so that Christ would also die. But 'my kingdom is not of this world,' says Christ. What further reassurance do you seek? Come to the kingdom that is not of this world. Do not be enraged by fear, but come by faith. In a prophecy Christ also said, 'He,' that is, God the Father, 'has made me king on Zion his holy mountain' (Psalm 2:6). But that Zion and that mountain are not of this world. What in fact is Christ's kingdom? It is simply those who believe in him, those to whom he said, 'You are not of this world, even as I am not of this world.' He willed, nevertheless, that they should be in the world, which is why he prayed to the Father, 'I ask you not to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one' (John 17:15-16). So here also he did not say, 'My kingdom is not' in this world but 'is not of this world.' And when he went on to prove this by declaring, 'If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought to save me from being handed over to the Jews,' he concluded by saying not 'my kingdom is not here' but 'my kingdom is not from here.' "Indeed, his kingdom is here until the end of time, and until the harvest it will contain weeds. The harvest is the end of the world, when the reapers, who are the angels, will come and gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin (Matthew 13:48-41). And this could not happen if his kingdom were not here. But even so, it is not from here, for it is in exile in the world. Christ says to his kingdom, 'You are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world' (John 15:19). They were indeed of the world when they belonged to the prince of this world, before they became his kingdom. Though created by the true God, everyone born of the corrupt and accursed stock of Adam is of the world. [But] everyone who is reborn in Christ becomes the kingdom that is no longer of the world. For God has snatched us from the powers of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). This is that kingdom of which he said, 'My kingdom is not of this world; my kingly power does not come from here." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 115.2)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 18:33-37 comments that the kingdom of the world values power, wealth, honor, and pleasure. The kingdom of God, on the other hand, values sacrificial love, forgiveness, humility, and service. Such things are not always attractive because they come with a cost. Yet the reward is always greater—not only in this life, as we experience Jesus’ abundant love and mercy, but also in the next, when we will see him face-to-face and live in his joyful embrace forever.

Today as you worship the King of kings at Mass, think about what you most value and what you are most anxious to achieve. Then see if these things are more in line with God’s kingdom or with the kingdom of the world. We are all tempted at times to straddle both kingdoms at the same time. But over and over again, we are faced with choices to serve one or the other. May we always choose to serve Jesus, our King and Lord! “Praise you, King of kings and Lord of lords!”7 

Friar Jude Winkler notes that 200 years before Jesus, the Son of Man stood for the Jewish people. By Jesus time it became the expectation of a Messiah King. In Revelation, the Alpha and Omega indicate Jesus as the source and goal of our life. Friar Jude notes the events in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem that would be like a king to Pilate but reminds us that Jesus is most King on the Cross accomplishing the Will of the Father in service to everyone and everything.

 

Roger Dawson SJ, Director of St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales, explains how the readings for the Feast of Christ the King in Year B juxtapose the rule of Christ with a more familiar – and, if we’re honest, often more appealing – expression of earthly power. ‘

But it is not about us, it is about Jesus.  He is king, no one else.  To talk of kingship or lordship can evoke images of oppressive or coercive systems, but for Jesus kingship is about humility and service.  This feast is not to flatter a king with a fragile ego in need of reassurance, but to celebrate in gratitude the love and kindness of someone who is so committed to us that he will not compromise even in the face of the most powerful in the land, and who will not baulk even at death itself.  The image of the Shepherd King may not be an especially rich one for most of us, but it was immensely powerful for the people of Israel, evoking ideas of care and love.  All of this is in contrast to the kingship of power and domination, the reigns of kings that do not have the best interests of everyone at heart.  This is the king who is lord over life and death and all there is.8 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is convinced Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) is one of the best friends of contemplative inner life. He suggested the whole problem is that Christianity does not connect with the soul or transform people anymore. He insists on actual “inner, transcendent experience” [2] to anchor individuals to God, and that’s what mystics always emphasize.

We all must find an inner authority that we can trust that is bigger than our own. This way, we know it’s not only us thinking these thoughts. When we are able to trust God directly, it balances out the almost exclusive reliance on external authority (Scripture for Protestants; Tradition for Catholics). Much of what passes as religion is external to the self, top-down religion, operating from the outside in. Carl Jung wanted to teach people to honor religious symbols, but from the inside out. He wanted people to recognize those numinous voices already in our deepest depths. Without deep contact with one’s in-depth self, Jung believed one could not know God. That’s not just Jungian psychology. Read Teresa of Ávila’s Interior Castle. The first mansion, where we first meet God, is radical honesty about ourselves, warts and all. Similar teachers include Saint Augustine of Hippo, Thérèse of Lisieux, Lady Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, and Francis of Assisi.9 

We hear today of the desire of some to create political systems ruled as Christian kingdoms even as we seek the voice of truth from the Spirit that draws us to the Cross to serve as Jesus' disciples.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Daniel, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93
3	(n.d.). Revelation, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/1
4	(n.d.). John, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/18
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112121.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=nov21
7	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/11/21/250863/
8	(2015, November 19). Christ the King | Thinking Faith. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/christ-king
9	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Richard Rohr. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://cac.org/inner-authority-2021-11-21/