This year, we’re calling Christ “King Of The Universe.” The idea is to be as all-encompassing as possible, but it doesn’t quite succeed.
The Christmas season celebrates what we often call God’s entrance into human history, which takes place in the physical context of the universe, or multiverse, as some of us are now wont to call it.
“King of the Universe” makes sense the way the winner of the World Cup can say they are the world champions. Authority over a certain physical space is what is in dispute, and what is claimed.
We can say “King of the Universe” and that includes all the stars and quasars and black holes and all those other things out there.
If Jesus suddenly found Himself in a black hole, for instance, He would not be subject to it the way anyone or anything else would be. It wouldn’t effect Him at all. Death has no more power over Him, and neither does a black hole or the immense pressure of the water at the bottom of the ocean. All of which seems pretty silly, because, who would expect those things to?
The idea of a virgin birth, however, strikes some people as so implausible that the whole issue isn’t worth any consideration, although, if a God is to exist, why wouldn’t that God choose to do something like that? God has the radical freedom of the artist to do whatever He wants with His own material.
Can God create a rock so heavy even He couldn’t lift it? No. He couldn’t.
God holds a press conference.
“Can You,” asks a reporter, “make a rock so heavy even You couldn’t lift it?” Excitedly, George W. Bush whispers into God’s Ear. “I’m not going to play ‘Gotcha!'” God says. In the stunned silence, God sneaks a puzzled sideways glance over at George W. who is grinning triumphantly at the reporters.
I guess we’ll never know. But my guess is “No.”
The “Jesus” book by Schillebeeckx thoroughly discusses the concept of “Messiah.” For Christians, in hindsight, it can seem self-explanatory that the Messiah is the Son Of God, and He rose from the dead, and faith in Him is the key to eternal life in Heaven, but before Christ came, and still today, of course, what people mean by “Messiah” (i.e., “Savior”) is extremely flexible.
The Jews thought of the Messiah in several ways: as a warrior, as a priest, as a king. Exactly how the Messiah would exert His authority wasn’t entirely certain.
We still live with the prophecy that Jesus will return and inaugurate His kingdom on Earth, but how exactly that is going to happen isn’t known. Jesus said, when He returns, people will go on with their daily lives, the way they did as Moses built the ark, the way they did in Jesus’ presence then. But He also said that His coming will be made known as clearly as lightning illumines the sky.
How will we know it’s really Him? What will He do to prove Himself? Valid questions. Burning questions.
As this segment of Ordinary Time ends with Advent arriving in a week, we are left with this feast of Christ The King.
Ezekiel and Psalm 23 present God and the Lord as shepherds in care of the flock. We fancy ourselves as powerful beings in the world, as we are, but our power is severely circumscribed. Faced with either the abyss or the guidance of an all-powerful shepherd, we are fortunate to have these shepherds, Who understand our limitations, and despise us not on account of our mortal, human foolishness.
We also have the image of Christ as King, the King Who will render final judgment upon our souls.
Do we want a King? Maybe not, at least not in terms of the vain kings of Earth and history, but we have a King. Not that He was made a King, not because He aspires to kingliness, not because He has competitors, but we have a King in the sense that we have an almighty Power above us and over us, Who has that power, and exercises that power, because love and justice are at work in these spiritual dimensions, and as things are a certain way, there is a certain way that things will eventually be, because they should be that way.
And how does the King refer to us– all of us, especially the lowliest among us? As His brothers.
Being human must have made a profound and lasting impression on Jesus. As our advocate with the Father, He remembers that experience, and identifies with us.
If we find it impossible to identify with our brothers and sisters in this life, we will not be able to identify ourselves with Jesus.
May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to the presence of the divine in all of us, lest we find ourselves without a shepherd when we need one most!