The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Reading I Dn 7:13-14
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
one like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
when he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Reading II Rv 1:5-8
Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."
Alleluia Mk 11:9, 10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 18:33b-37
Pilate said to Jesus,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." // John 18:37
He is King.
It’s not hard for us to forget this reality. We live in a flawed earthly state—leaders and rulers, kings and queens, some good and some bad. We are all affected to a degree. Promises made, promises broken, new laws, old laws, terrible laws and good ones. We don’t see Christ crowned on the news, and we certainly don’t see His victory on a billboard on the way to the grocery store. There are no bumper stickers or yard signs for us.
But we know He reigns over Heaven and Earth; we know He reigns yesterday and today. This Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe is so appropriately timed for many of us living in the United States. Every four years November suddenly becomes ground zero for political intensity as a president is elected. In the secular landscape, politics is the new religion. And we are not immune to getting sucked right in. But our God is the God of the Universe—of Earth and sky and beyond. He sees the whole plan, He authored the whole plan, and so we can rest in this reality. We are beloved daughters of the King. And He reigns.
As the days and weeks roll on past this most recent election, and as we come closer to the beginning of Advent, let’s take the time to assess our allegiances, our hopes, our worries, and our fears. Let’s adjust our gazes, recalibrate our senses, and restore our faith in the only True King—Who is Jesus Christ and Who is ours.
Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of eleven smallish kids in small town SoCal. She firmly believes sanctity is found in the everyday and is trying hard to live that truth, despite her countless fumbles. She enjoys sunshine in heavy doses, good music, and babysitters. She is a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
UP TO 50% OFF SALE
JOURNEY WITH US THIS ADVENT
2025 LITURGICAL PLANNERS
SUPPORT THE BIS MISSION
