LET CHRIST REIGN OVER YOU By Rev Fr Sylverus Ulem
…. Being a sermon delivered during second Mass (9:00am) at Holy Trinity Parish, Ogboja – Ogoja.
34th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Solemnity of Christ the Universal King
My dear people of God,
When we allow Jesus to reign over us, our society becomes a better place. Many times, the stagnation we experience, individually and collectively is because we have not truly allowed Christ to take His rightful place in our hearts.
From the beginning, God created us with one primary rule, that good be done. The Ten Commandments came later as guidance, but the heart of God for us has always been goodness, love, and obedience.
Christ the Universal King
On this 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates Christ the Universal King, a feast instituted by Pope Pius XI. This celebration is a public proclamation that Jesus is the King of the universe and, by implication, the King of our lives.
God created everything out of nothing. Jesus is the center of our being, the foundation on which everything stands. Without Him, everything collapses back into nothingness.
In David, the people saw a worthy servant. He did not campaign or write manifestos; instead, the people recognized the qualities of leadership in him. When we humble ourselves, God reveals Himself in us. Every true leader carries the “flesh and bone” of the people, he arises from among them and must protect and guide them.
A king who cannot protect his people has failed in his duty. Today, we see many leaders more concerned with power than service. Political defections, power struggles, and the hunger for influence remind us that many seek authority without embracing responsibility. But Scripture tells us, all power comes from God, and any power not rooted in God will eventually collapse.
Today we see apostles, evangelists, bishops, prophets, all kinds of titles, yet confusion persists. Some pursue titles more than service; some even fight or kill to protect these positions. But any title without corresponding responsibility is useless.
Whether priest, bishop, parent, or leader if we carry the name without carrying the corresponding responsibility, we have failed.
Pilate and the Jews conspired out of ignorance, yet their actions fulfilled God’s plan of salvation. Our celebration today is not a mockery of Christ, but a recognition of His kingship expressed through the cross.
There are three crosses in life:
The cross we accept, it serves us.
The cross we reject, it condemns us.
The cross we willingly carry, it redeems us.
Christ’s Kingship vs. Earthly Leadership
Christ is the model of all kings and leaders. He thinks of His people, loves them, and serves them like a good Shepherd. He treats us as brothers and sisters. Many leaders today make promises they do not keep, feeding on the people rather than feeding the people. But Jesus is the King who feeds His subjects, who gives His life for them.
He left the riches of heaven to share in our poverty so that we might become rich. Yet today we often see leaders who rise from poverty only to feed on the riches of their people.
He had no social media account, yet He has the largest followers in history. Many today expose themselves online simply to gain followers and earn small payments, forgetting their dignity.
There is no protocol to access Jesus. He was like a parish priest whose parishioners could freely approach Him. Sadly, even we priests sometimes fail in this area. When a rich man arrives at the parish house we often rush to welcome him, but when a poor man comes, we sometimes turn him away.
May God help us to change.
As we celebrate Christ the Universal King, may He truly reign over our hearts, our families, our communities, and our nation.
May His peace fill our lives, now and always.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Disclaimer: The opinion expressed in this article is strictly that of the author, Rev Fr Sylverus Ulem, and does not represent Theluminenews, its agent or the organisation the author works for/with.