In fact, Christ was first presented to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a king, when the archangel said to her, “…the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” And Christ, when facing condemnation and death, spoke to Pilate who was judging Him, “You have said I am a king… although my kingdom is not of this world,” by which our Lord meant that his realm was no temporal kingdom, like that of earthly rulers, but rather, a supernatural kingdom. And to uphold this title to kingship He willingly accepted death, even enduring the mockery of the crowning with thorns. On the cross itself there was nailed the inscription in three languages, which expressed the main reason for His condemnation; and what did it say? “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
A king must have a kingdom to rule. Christ is not a king in title only. He has a kingdom which is a tremendous empire, embracing all of creation. In that kingdom, He must rule and govern, and it is our obligation is to see to it that He is acknowledged as King throughout His entire realm; therefore we must understand something of the nature of Christ’s kingdom.
It is a kingdom which is on earth, but it is not of the earth. It is a kingdom with a two-fold aspect: one is external, and the other internal. The external aspect of it is the Church, which was founded by Christ, with her visible head, the Pope, with those bishops in communion with him, and her priesthood, along with all the sacraments, those visible instruments of grace, which are ministered through the Church’s visible organization. The internal aspect is the Mystical Body of Christ, of which Christ is the head, we are the members, and the Holy Spirit is the soul, the life-giving principle, of sanctifying grace.
When Christ appears on the Last Day in great power and majesty, surrounded by a multitude of angels, his kingdom will be fully revealed. Every day until then we are to honour and give glory to Christ the King by being faithful and by being obedient. Remember our Lord’s words, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So simple, so beautiful, so straightforward. His commandment is that we should love – with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. In doing that, we give witness to the kingdom of our divine and glorious King.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in thy well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.