King of the universe

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate on the Thirty-Fourth and Last Sunday of this Ordinary Time of the year, the great occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, also known as the Solemnity and Feast of Christ the King. This Feast, which was established in the year 1925 by Pope Pius XI as a strong response to the ever increasing tide of secularisation and materialism in the world, the ending of many traditional hierarchies and societal norms, and especially the rapid ascent of Communism in various places and states, which seeks to detach the Lord and the Christian faith from the daily living of the people, their actions, works and livelihood. That was why Pope Pius XI established this Feast, originally celebrated at the last Sunday of the month of October, to remind all of us that Christ is the King of the whole world, and the Source of all authority of states and worldly powers.

This means that ultimately, whatever the differences may exist between the different states, countries, groups, sovereignties and other ways that we often distinguish ourselves from each other, God holds dominion and sovereignty over all of us. And no power or dominion, authority or sovereignty can claim to be independent of God because in God alone is found the true source of all power and sovereignty. And all of us belong to the Lord, Who is our one true Lord, Master and King, the One Who has created us and Who rules over all of us. The rulers and states of this world have been entrusted with the various authorities and powers by the Lord as stewards of God’s people, and those come along with responsibilities and duties that those who have been entrusted by God have to ultimately account to Him.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which we heard of the moment when the tribes of Israel, all the assembly of the Twelve Tribes and their representatives came and gathered to acclaim David as the King over all of Israel, after several years of strife, divisions and civil war between the supporters of David and those who supported Saul’s family and the latter’s claim to kingship. For the context, David was the one that God chose to be the new King and ruler of Israel replacing Saul, the first one to rule as King of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel who was also the Judge over all Israel. It was also Samuel himself who anointed Saul earlier on as King of Israel, but Saul had disobeyed God and did not do as the Lord has instructed to him, and hence, David was appointed as his replacement.

What was not shown in this passage is that lots of struggles, hardships, sufferings and tragedies happen in the process, as the kingship passed on and went from Saul and his family to that of David. David was persecuted by Saul although he was the favourite of the king, and he was chased by Saul that he had to go into exile even to the land of the Philistines and to the wilderness. And when Saul and his son Jonathan were slain in the battle against the Philistines, David also lost his best and precious friend Jonathan in that tragedy. And in the ensuing civil war between David and the family of Saul, many people were affected in the fighting and conflict, suffered and perished. But eventually David won the civil war and was universally accepted by all the Israelites as their King, ushering the golden age of the United Kingdom of Israel under David and his son, Solomon.

And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Divine Word Incarnate was born into this world as the Son and Heir of David, as the rightful Heir and descendant of David as King over all of Israel although the kingdom of Israel itself had been destroyed centuries prior to His coming. But the Lord has promised through His many prophets and messengers that He would restore the Kingdom to His people, and the One Whom He would send, would be the One to restore it to its glory and even more. That was then how everything was fulfilled through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who was born into the House of David and inherit the Throne of David as King, and with God Himself as King over all of His people, He became the Eternal Ruler and Master of all. Then, in addition, He is King not only just over Israel, because as the Lord, Creator and Master of the whole Universe, He is the King of all the Universe.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Colossae, where the Apostle spoke of the One Whom all of us as Christians have believed in, the One Who is the Son of God, incarnate in this world as the Saviour of all mankind, begotten of the Father before all of the ages and time. St. Paul highlighted Who this King of Kings and the King of the Universe is, the Image of the Unseen God, the Almighty God Who has created this whole Universe, Who was once beyond our understanding, appreciation and knowledge, but through His will and power, has manifested Himself and His love perfectly in the flesh, becoming tangible, real and visible to us, showing us Who our true Lord, King and Master is.

And that is the reality about our King of Kings, the King and Master of the whole Universe. As St. Paul described of Him, He is indeed incomparable and far beyond our league, infinitely mighty and powerful, holding dominion and power over all of Creation. He is the King Who truly loves us, Who is always compassionate and caring towards each one of us, His beloved children and people. That is why we should always appreciate all the love, attention and care that the Lord Himself has shown to us. We are truly fortunate to be loved in such a manner and we should indeed do our best to embrace His love, He Who has united all of us to Himself and to each other, as the Head of the visible Body of Christ, His own Body, the whole Church of God. Each and every one of us, we are part of the same Kingdom of our God and King.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist about the moment of the Passion and suffering of the Lord, when Jesus, the Saviour and Son of God was nailed to His Cross at the place known as Calvary or Golgotha. At that moment, we heard how the people were mocking Him for not being able to save Himself while He has saved others, mocking Him and telling Him to bring Himself down from His Cross. And yet, He Himself has willingly taken the Cross upon His own shoulders, because He is a King Who truly cares for His beloved people, ever full of love for each and every one of those who are precious to Him, and that is why He was willing to endure the worst of humiliations and punishments for our sake, that we all may live and not perish.

And in His conversations with the two thieves who were crucified with Him, we can see even further the great love, compassion and magnanimity that our Lord and King has for each and every one of us, even to the greatest and worst of offenders and sinners. The repentant thief admitted his faults and sins before the Crucified Lord and King, and he asked that He would remember him when He comes into His kingdom, and the Lord granted his wish, becoming perhaps the first to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, which we are all invited into as well. Our Lord and King has shown us that He is a King Who truly cares for each and every one of us, His people, and not like those kings who cared only about themselves and caused sufferings for many of those whom they ruled.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today on this great Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and King of the whole Universe, let us all therefore remember that as Christians, all of us as God’s people have Him as our King and we truly should behave and act in a way that truly shows that He is indeed our Lord and Master, the One Who rules over each and every one of us. That is why we should do our very best and continue to be good role models and examples, inspirations and encouragement for one another as exemplary and good Christians in all things, in our every actions, words and deeds so that we may truly inspire many more people, all those whom we encounter, that we can indeed glorify the Lord our King at all times.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and King of Kings continue to reign in our hearts and in all of our lives, and may all of us be ever faithful and committed to Him at all times and as always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 23 : 35-43

At that time, the people stood by, watching. As for the rulers, they jeered at Jesus, saying to one another, “Let the Man Who saved others now save Himself, for He is the Messiah, the Chosen One of God!”

The soldiers also mocked Him and, when they drew near to offer Him bitter wine, they said, “So You are the King of the Jews? Free Yourself!” Above Jesus there was an inscription in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, which read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals hanging with Jesus insulted Him, “So You are the Messiah? Save Yourself, and us as well!” But the other rebuked him, saying, Have you no fear of God, you who received the same sentence as He did? For us it is just : this is payment for what we have done. But this Man has done nothing wrong.”

And he said, “Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly, you will be with Me today in paradise.”

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Colossians 1 : 12-20

Constantly give thanks to the Father Who has empowered us to receive our share in the inheritance of the saints in His kingdom of light. He rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. In Him we are redeemed and forgiven.

He is the Image of the unseen God, and for all creation He is the Firstborn, for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible : thrones, rulers, authorities, powers… All was made through Him and for Him. He is before all and all things hold together in Him.

And He is the Head of the Body, that is the Church, for He is the first, the first raised from the dead that He may be the first in everything, for God was pleased to let fullness dwell in Him. Through Him God willed to reconcile all things to Himself, and through Him, through His Blood shed on the cross, God establishes peace, on earth as in heaven.

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 121 : 1-2, 4-5

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!

There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stands the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Samuel 5 : 1-3

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your bone and flesh. In the past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel. And YHVH said to you, ‘You shall be the shepherd of My people Israel and you shall be commander over Israel.'”

Before YHVH, King David made an agreement with the elders of Israel who came to him at Hebron, and they anointed him king of Israel.

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Thirty-Fourth and therefore the Last Sunday of Ordinary Time for this current liturgical year. Beginning next Sunday, the season of Advent will begin and it will also mark the beginning of the new liturgical year cycle. On this Sunday therefore we celebrate the great occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, celebrating and honouring the Kingship of Our Lord, His Universal Dominion and Kingship, Mastery and Rule over the whole Creation and over all things. On this day we glorify our Lord and King, proclaiming Him as our only Sovereign and Master, the One Who is ruling over our lives, renewing our commitments and dedication to Him, as His followers and disciples, and as His one united people, the Church of God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which the vision of Daniel was recounted to us, the vision of God on His Throne, One of a Great Age and the Son of Man, to Whom Daniel saw that the One of Great Age had granted power, sovereignty and dominion over the whole world. This vision was in fact a prelude and premonition of Christ’s coming into this world, the revelation that God would indeed send none other than His own Beloved and Begotten Son, the Divine Word of God, to be incarnate in our midst and to dwell among us, ruling over us all as our Lord and King. And as He comes upon us in the flesh, adopting our human nature and existence, He also made His Kingdom to be manifest in our midst, as something that is real and tangible.

We are also reminded that ultimately, our allegiance and obedience lies and rests in God. Of course we are parts and members of our own respective countries, states and other worldly authorities that we are under and subject to, but we must always keep in mind and remember that all the authority and power they have ultimately came from God, our true Lord and King, our Master and Ruler, Who has entrusted and delegated His power and authority to those whom He had chosen and called to be the ones to exercise that power and authority on daily basis, be it in the secular world, in our states and countries, our governments and worldly rulers, as well as in the Church of God, the Pope and the many bishops all around the world, who have been entrusted with all of us, God’s flock and holy people.

Then, in our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle where St. John recounted to us his heavenly vision of the events of the end of times and the Final Judgment, the ultimate triumph of the Lord and His victory over all evil, sin and death. St. John had witnessed all those things so that he might be able to encourage and strengthen every one of us, God’s holy and faithful people, reminding us that Our Lord, He Who is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lord, Master and Ruler of all will come again in the end of times, to gather us all and to lead us into the eternal bliss, true happiness and joy that He has promised and reassured us all these while. As long as we have faith and trust in Him, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, we will be saved.

From our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard of the account of the time when the Lord was going through His Passion or Suffering, when Pontius Pilate, the Governor and Procurator of Judea was questioning Him about why the chief priests handed Him over to him to be condemned to death and crucified. Then, in that conversation and exchange we heard Pilate’s question to Jesus, asking Him about the accusations that the chief priests had been making against Him regarding the claim that He called Himself as the King of the Jews. This false claim and accusation was made by the chief priests against the Lord because they knew that it was high treason for anyone to claim to be king and ruler when the land was under Roman dominion and rule.

It was then that the Lord replied to Pilate that He is indeed a King, although not in the manner that he would think or know of. The Lord Himself mentioned that His Kingdom is not of this world, in the sense that His Kingdom, Dominion, power and sovereignty cannot be bound or described in the manner that any other earthly kingdoms and dominions, states and realms can be defined and bound. His Kingship is truly Universal and all-encompassing, and every nation, dominions, realms and other earthly boundaries are all under His rule and power, and this is the truth and reality that every one of us have to believe and trust in, knowing that because God is our Lord and King, hence, we are all the people of the King of Kings, the ones whom He had called and chosen to be His own beloved people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these words from the Scriptures and as we all ponder upon the reality of the Kingship of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment in the Lord, to proclaim Him as our one true Lord and King. And if we truly believe and accept our Lord Jesus as King, then we must truly enthrone Him in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, in our whole being, and strive as always to put Him at the very centre of our existence and lives. This is what we have been invited and reminded to do, to follow and obey Our King at all times and in all circumstances. As Christians, we must always be ready to proclaim our allegiance to God and our adherence to His ways and teachings, His Law and commandments at every moments in our lives.

The problem often then lies in the fact that many of us do not truly proclaim and hold fast to the fact and belief that Our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, is our Lord and King, our Master and Ruler. Why is that so, brothers and sisters? That is because we often allow the temptations present all around us, the temptations of power, money, worldly desires and attachments to distract us and pull us away from God and His path. And we also end up making those things to be our idols and masters instead of the Lord. Indeed, there are plenty of false idols around us, the idol of money, possessions, ambitions and other forms of worldly pursuits and desires that can keep us away from being truly committed and faithful to the Lord, our true Master and King.

May our Lord and Saviour, our King and Master, Jesus Christ, the Almighty and All-Encompassing Master and Ruler of the whole entire Universe and Creation continue to bless and guide us in all of our every endeavours, efforts and works. May all of us as His beloved and faithful people, His one flock and nation, all remain united in total obedience and commitment to Him as our Lord and King, our true Master in all things. Let us all and our devotion to our King continue to inspire many others in how we live our lives, becoming the great and shining beacons of truth, hope and love, revealing the Good News of God to all creation. Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat! Amen.

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 18 : 33b-37

Pilate summoned Jesus and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Does this word come from you, or did you hear it from others?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed You over to me. What have You done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingship does not come from this world. If I were a King, like those of this world, My guards would have fought to save Me from being handed over to the Jews. But My Kingship is not of this world.” Pilate asked Him, “So You are a King?” And Jesus answered, “Just as you say, I am a King. For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth hears My voice.”

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Revelations 1 : 5-8

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him Who loves us and has washed away our sins with His own Blood, making us a kingdom and priests for God His Father, to Him be the glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

See He comes with the clouds and everyone will see Him, even those who pierced Him; on His account all the nations of the earth will beat his breast. Yes. It will be so. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, He Who is, Who was and Who is to come : the Master of the universe.

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

YHVH reigns, robed in majesty; YHVH is girded with strength.

The world now, is firm; it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o YHVH; from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your House, day after day, without end, o YHVH.

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Sunday, 24 November 2024 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Daniel 7 : 13-14

I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.