34TH SUNDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TIME (CHRIST THE KING) — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: The Universal Reign of Peace and Love from the Clouds
BY: Fr. Luke Ijezie
Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37
We celebrate today the last Sunday of the liturgical year. It is a day the Universal Church celebrates Jesus Christ specially as the King of the Universe. In Nigeria, the celebration is particularly marked with a joyful procession with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, otherwise called, the Corpus Christi. The celebration reminds us that we have a powerful heavenly guide who leads us despite all our wayward ways. As we celebrate Christ the Universal King and dance around the Royal Presence, we recall that his reign is one of love and unity without discrimination. Our society and our hearts are often too far away from the requirements of this Universal Reign. Our hearts often stink with mutual hate, as we allow many barriers to keep us apart. Christ’s reign of truth, justice, unity and love remains the only hope for a peaceful and happy world.
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The readings of this Sunday project an interesting image of this Universal Kingship. The common imagery is that of ruling from the clouds. The first reading from the apocalyptic book of Daniel (7:13-14) presents the universal ruler as one coming on the clouds of heaven. The second reading from the book of Revelation (1:5-8) picks up the same idea of coming on the clouds. The author identifies the one coming on the clouds as Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He is the Alpha and the Omega, and all nations will bow down before him. In the Gospel text from John 18:33-37, Jesus himself explains the character of this new and everlasting kingdom. He tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world, meaning that it exists on the spiritual realm. In the same trial scene in Mark, as in the other Synoptic Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus acknowledges to the high priest that he is the Messiah, and adds: “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).
The idea of coming on the clouds can be looked at from two perspectives.
1. In the first place, being in the clouds connotes the idea of being removed from reality or ordinary life. In normal parlance, when one is said to remain in the clouds, he or she is understood as operating on a high ideal more or less alien to the ordinary realm or impracticable. However, the idea of Jesus coming on the clouds needs not connote the negative idea of being removed from reality, but related to that it underlines the fact that his kingdom is not of this world, as the Gospel of today attests. The kingship of Jesus is not the type practised by human beings, which often ends up dividing people and excluding many. Jesus attracts us to higher ideals of love and unanimity. His kingdom transcends the borders of flesh and blood. It transcends the barriers of clan, tribe, ethnic group, nation, culture, religion, race and language. He appeals to higher values of justice for all, love for all and acceptance of all. Yes, in a way, it is a kingdom that remains in the clouds but at the same time it is a unifier of all hearts here and now.
2. The second way of understanding the idea of Jesus coming on the clouds is to link it to the biblical understanding of the clouds. Generally, the biblical texts present the clouds as the carriers of the divine presence. In that sense the clouds symbolise the glory of God. This is very evident in Exodus and other texts. Usually, what appears in the clouds carries with it the glory of God. The reading from the book of Daniel sees the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. Then, the text goes on: “On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship” (Dan 7:14). So, here, Daniel understands the coming on the clouds as coming with the divine glory and sovereignty which will last forever.
We pray that the reign of God made present in Jesus may find a home in our lives as individuals and as society!
May God’s reign of peace, justice, truth, unity and love be realised in our lives now and forever!
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