Patriarch Elijah’s message for the Feast of Christ the King
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Jesus said in the Gospel: “My kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate asked Him: “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered: “You say rightly that I am a king.” (cf. Jn 18:36-37)
Ask yourself each: Is Jesus the King in the kingdom of my soul? Is He really the King there? If we have not received the kingdom of God, He is not the King there. Jesus says that we should seek first the kingdom of God and all other things will be added to us. So the first thing is to seek the kingdom of God. Jesus is the King in the kingdom of God. Who is the king in the kingdom of this world? The prince of this world. Jesus speaks about the truth while the kingdom of the devil is built on lies. Jesus is the Truth, as He says Himself: “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jn 18:37)
From the moment when Jesus was born and came into the world, the kingdom of God suffers violence in this world. If we receive the kingdom of God and Jesus into our hearts, we will suffer persecution. What is more, the very original sin in us, which is united to the system of sin and the world and ultimately to the one who is the father of lies, the devil, does not want to allow the kingdom of God in us. It is because we still love and protect original sin, our old nature, which deceives us and brings us to misery, and we have not yet given ourselves wholly to Jesus.
Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin – from the kingdom of darkness. His kingdom is the kingdom of truth and love. Here on earth it is not yet in fullness, it will come in its fullness only after death, and those who remained faithful to Him will reign with Him in the glory of heaven, in His light. Here on earth we fight a hard fight. The kingdom of God is persecuted by the people and spirit of this world and by those who are in unity with darkness and reject the Son of God and His kingdom. Thousands and millions of martyrs have sacrificed their lives for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. All the apostles shed their blood for His sake.
The book “Quo vadis” describes a moving scene. The early Christians gathered at night for the celebration of the Eucharist. It was somewhere in an old house at the edge of Rome. The moon was shining, Christians appeared one by one out of darkness… A woman came and said: “Praetorians killed my husband and my son…”, then she started to cry and added: “…and God was silent on it.” Then a man came and said: “I had one daughter, praetorians defiled and killed her, and God was silent on it.” More and more people came and all poured out their troubles and pains. They endured suffering because they had received Jesus and believed in Him. Finally, a white-haired old man appeared. It was the Apostle Peter, and he said: “I was at Calvary and I saw from a distance Jesus, the Son of God, being crucified. I heard Him pray in anguish, I heard blows of a hammer, I saw Him dying in great pain, abandoned by all… And God was silent on it.” And then Saint Peter said aloud: “But on the third day Jesus Christ rose from the dead! There will be rivers of martyrs’ blood but you are the conquerors!” He pointed to the sorrowful Christians and said: “Your daughter was defiled, but she will be purer than a lily in the glory of heaven. And your son, woman, was killed but you will meet him in the endless joy of the heavenly kingdom, in the kingdom of light!” And he repeated: “There will be rivers of martyrs’ blood but you are the conquerors!”
We need to know this too. The author pointed out the reality of the fight against the kingdom of God, the devil’s effort to nip the kingdom of God in the bud. The Word of God says that the kingdom of God is in the midst of us. Yes, it is both within us and in the midst of us, if we received Jesus and were baptized. We have received divine life and the kingdom of God is within us.
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In the 1920s, Christians in Mexico suffered severe persecution. Many people were killed; there were thousands of martyrs, including priests. With their back against the wall, most of them cried out the last words: “Viva Cristo Rey!” (Long live Christ the King!) A shot rang out and they fell dead. And again, it seemed that God was silent. But He will no longer be silent in eternity.
Even today, the kingdom of darkness can destroy those who are faithful to Jesus. Jesus is the One who not only died for our sins but also delivers us from the bondage of sin. He wants us to give Him the first place in our hearts. He wants to be our King. He wants us no longer to be under the dominion of sin or addictions which we let enslave us. But to make Jesus really our King, we need to turn to Him time and time again and allow Him to deliver us from various bondages, so that He may have the first place in our life – and this is a way, a process. It is the way of the cross to the kingdom of God. It is bloodless martyrdom. Both young and old people who want to follow Jesus in earnest will not avoid conflicts or problems. The words of Jesus are always true: “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me!” We must know that He has the last word. He is the King of all. This world will pass away but His kingdom will last forever. How many kingdoms there were in history – Babylonian, Roman, Greek… How many different kingdoms… And where are they now? They were and passed away, and those to come will pass away too. They all have a common denominator – they all fight against the kingdom of God. These are the kingdoms of this world. But the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. He says Himself: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but My kingdom is not from here.” And when Pilate asked Him: “Are You a king then?”, Jesus answered: “I am a king.”
Yes, Jesus is the King, and we should receive Him again today as our Lord and King and give our whole future and concrete problems into His hands. We pray “Your kingdom come!” and we want it really to come today into our hearts and souls. We want to give Jesus the first place in our lives. And however hard our problems or illnesses or whatever, if we let Him govern our life and give it all into His hands, He will cause it work for our good. He loves us more than we love ourselves. But we must turn to Him again and again and say to Him: “Jesus, I trust in You!” We must learn to give Him our problems in concrete situations. Surely, we will face trials and temptations but Jesus gives us the victory. We only need to trust in Him and give Him our innermost thoughts and feelings. We need to bring our all under the rule of Jesus Christ, into His hands, so that He may really be our King. He came into the world to deliver us not only from our sins but from the slavery of sin. He came to make us free so that we may truly belong to Him – the King whose kingdom will last forever. So this feast is a crucial moment for us to stop and renew our baptismal promises, to receive Jesus again as our Saviour and King.
The essential question
Who is Jesus to me? Is He my King, or is He just a personality, someone whom I know from pictures, or a reformer? We, Christians, are obliged to receive Jesus and even to lay down our lives for His sake like millions of martyrs before us, because He is God and the only Saviour. If anyone denies Him, He will also deny that person in the hour of death. It is a serious thing. It is the most important thing in our life. Who is Jesus to me? Is He my King and my God? Or who is He?
We must be wise. We must think of death, God’s judgment and eternity. Who is faithful to Him, who fights for the sake of Him who is the Truth even at the cost of slander, imprisonment or defamation…? Definitely, it is not easy to fight for the sake of truth. The truth will not prevail on its own. Persevere in this fight! The kingdom of Jesus Christ is full of glory in eternity!
Download: Patriarch Elijah’s message for the Feast of Christ the King
