Hello, St. John the Evangelist Parish and St. Joseph Oratory! My name is Evan Connors; I am the new Discipleship Assistant here at the mother church of Jackson. A little bit about me: I have lived in the Diocese of Lansing my whole life, being a member of various parishes encompassing the Flint and Lansing areas. Prior to this position, I worked at St. Thomas-St. John Parish in East Lansing. I recently graduated from Franciscan University and am eager to assist our parish’s mission to know, love and share Jesus Christ. I thank you for your warm welcome, and I look forward to meeting you individually in the coming days and weeks!
Today we celebrate The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the
Universe. The readings depict several edifying themes: the covenantal continuity of the Old and New Testaments; our participation in Christ’s Kingdom through His Church; and the paradox of the Christian life.
The first reading depicts typology, or the continuity of the testaments, regarding King David and Jesus. Read in the unitive context of Scripture, David is a minor christos character as King of Israel. The tribes of Israel tell David they are his bone and flesh. This is heavy typological language, as it points towards the Eucharist and our participation in it as the New Israel. Jesus, Himself an heir of David through St. Joseph, completes the Old Israel via His human nature and subsequently elevates it to the New Israel via His divine nature. Because of Christ’s institution of the New Covenant (His Body and Blood), we participate in a similar but higher covenant, one that is totally abound in the Catholic Church’s worship, doctrine and governance. Of course, Christ’s kingship pertains to Heaven and all creation, too.
St. Paul in Colossians elaborates on our participation in the Body of Christ. By grace through faith, we are partakers in Christ’s divine life through His Church: “[Christ] is the head of the body, the church” (Col.1:18a). Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, puts it succinctly: “To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. By His obedience He brought about redemption. The Church, or, in other words, the kingdom of Christ now present in mystery, grows visibly through the power of God in the world” (No. 3). We make up the Mystical Body of Christ with our visible and invisible unity. This unity is not meant to be exclusive; rather, the mission of the Church, and certainly our particular church here in Jackson, is a mission of inclusion: we are called to the missionary effort! This entails many practical aspects, but it begins in our own hearts. Let us embrace the challenge of living out Christ’s kingship of service in all dimensions of our lives.
Lastly, St. Luke depicts in our Gospel Christ’s kingship as an act of total self-giving. Christ reigns in complete love and service to the Father, even to the point of entering history and dying for us. Baptism enables us to model this selfless service: the sacrament makes us direct sharers in Christ’s kingly office, as well as a temple of the Holy Spirit, which helps us emulate Christ’s perfect service and obedience to the Father.
We see how God used His people and covenants throughout time to bring about salvation. This revelation is not confined to the past; salvation history continues with us! Christ the King Sunday reminds us that when Christ returns, all creation will be drawn up into Him. As we approach Advent and Christmas, the time is right for reflection on this moment. When He arrives, “shall He find faith on earth?” (Lk.18:8). Glory and
Praise to Christ the King.