THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

The Kingship of Jesus Christ

29 October 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

Saint Paul, in his gratitude, gives us many examples of the Sovereignty of Jesus over everything. "…we have redemption through His Blood, the remission of sins; Who is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature; for in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers. All things were created by Him and in Him, and He is before all, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body of the Church, Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that in all things, He may hold the primacy; because in Him, it hath well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell; and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, making peace through the Blood of His cross, both as to the things on earth and the things that are in heaven, in Jesus Christ Our Lord" (Colossians 1:12-20).

Jesus is Our King whether we accept Him or not. He desires to rule over us as a loving King rather than as a condemning and punishing one. Short of forcing us into Heaven, He has done everything for us, given us everything, paid the price for our sins by His suffering and death, etc. The only thing that can stop Our King from taking us into the eternal happiness of Heaven is ourselves. God has given us a free will. He respects and honors our choices to unite with Him or rebel against Him.

Too often, we only think of God when we go to Church or are ill. When we need Jesus, we think of Him and pray. It is then that we sometimes honor and worship Him as Our King. Jesus is always Our King in all places and circumstances. He is God and, therefore, King of our souls and eternal life, but Jesus is also Man. As Man, Jesus is the King of our bodies and all material things as well.

We have been given free will. Nonetheless, we should frequently recall that freedom is not a license. What we can do and what we should do are very different. To exercise true freedom, we must willingly welcome Jesus into every aspect of our lives. It is not enough to have Jesus in Mass on Sunday and then forget about Him the rest of the week. We should begin our week with Jesus as Our King on Sunday at Mass but then bring Him home with us so that He is the King of our homes. We should bring Him with us to work or school.

With the remembrance of Jesus Our King before us all the time, we will never sin. The Sign of the Cross and the Holy Name of Jesus should be in our hearts and minds from the moment we wake up and continue with us as we close our eyes. We should bless our food before we eat, and we should give thanks after we have eaten. Before and after we wash and dress, we should think of Jesus. Before we leave the house and after we return. Before we begin anything of importance and afterward as well.

To be free and serve Jesus Our King, we must be mindful of Him in our religious, familial, social, economic, and political lives. No aspect of our lives should ever be devoid of the thought of Jesus' presence.

There is a lot of evil in the world, and it is sometimes difficult to see Jesus in our neighbors — family, friends, and enemies. With a little effort and prayer, we can develop the habit of thinking of God as we go through this life. We can see the suffering face of Jesus in those who are suffering. We can see Jesus' face in those filled with joy. In those who are laboring, relaxing, working, sleeping, etc.

Those who make our lives difficult can quickly remind us of Jesus humbling us because of our offenses or negligence to Him. They can easily be seen as our daily cross that we embrace and carry for the love of Him.

As we seek to embrace the Will of Jesus, we find true happiness and freedom despite any pains and discomforts we may experience in this life. When we are free, we do not even consider the things of this world because they do not compare with the things of Heaven. We can truly rejoice and love God whether He gives or takes away.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!