Nowadays, people do not speak much about kingdoms; these political systems are somehow a legacy from the past. Kings and queens are still respected in many places, but their role is mostly ceremonial – the real power is in the hands of presidents and prime ministers. The people want to see themselves as citizens who can elect their leaders.
Today’s feast of Christ, the King, (34th Sunday, Year C) may not appear meaningful to many of us. We may accept Jesus as our Lord but his being our King may not inspire us very much. The text of the 2nd reading – the letter of Paul to the Colossians (Col.1:11-20) – has two verses which give meaning to our celebration.
Paul writes: “He (God) has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.” In other words, what we are celebrating today is our situation of being in the light, free and forgiven! This is the meaning of Jesus’ kingdom which he shares with us.