The Throne of the Cross

2Sam 5:1-3; Psalm: 121; Col 1:12-20; Lk 23:35-43

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this great Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the Church presents us with a paradox that shatters all human understanding of power. The world expects a crown of gold, but God gives us a crown of thorns. The world looks for a throne of majesty, but God establishes His throne on the wood of the Cross. Today, we are invited to adore the King whose glory is His mercy, whose power is made perfect in weakness, and whose Kingdom is established not by conquest, but by a love that sacrifices everything.

Our readings trace the royal lineage of this Kingship. In the Second Book of Samuel, we see the earthly precursor. All the tribes of Israel come to David at Hebron and anoint him king. They recognize him as their shepherd, their leader in battle, the one chosen by God. This is a kingship of covenant and unity, a foreshadowing of a greater reality to come.

That greater reality is proclaimed by Saint Paul in his letter to the Colossians with breathtaking cosmic scope. He presents Christ as the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” This is no ordinary king. This is the King of creation, through whom and for whom all things were created. He is “before all things, and in him all things hold together.” And He is the head of the Church, the “firstborn from the dead,” the one who reconciles “all things in himself, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Here, Paul reveals the stunning truth: the agent of creation is the agent of redemption, and His sovereign power is exercised through the shedding of His own blood.

This brings us to the ultimate revelation of Christ’s Kingship in the Gospel of Luke. We do not stand before a royal palace, but at the foot of the Cross. The rulers sneer, the soldiers mock, and the criminal on one side joins the chorus: “Save yourself and us!” They demand a spectacle of power, a king who conquers death by coming down from the cross. But the other criminal, the Good Thief, sees with the eyes of faith. In the midst of this scene of utter defeat and humiliation, he perceives a King. He turns to the man crucified beside him and makes his act of faith and surrender: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And from the throne of the Cross, the King of the Universe pronounces a decree of astounding mercy: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” His first subject in His Kingdom, entered through the gate of suffering and death, is a repentant criminal. This is the nature of His reign. He does not save Himself to save others; He gives Himself completely to save others. As Pope Benedict XVI beautifully expressed, “The Cross is the true throne where He revealed the sublime greatness of God’s love.”

This is the Catholic faith we profess. Christ’s Kingship is not of this world, but it is for this world. It is a Kingdom of Truth and Life, a Kingdom of Holiness and Grace, a Kingdom of Justice, Love, and Peace. It is established in the human heart that, like the Good Thief, it acknowledges its need for a Savior and turns to the Crucified One in trust.

The comfort and strength for us is this: our King understands our suffering because He has entered into it. He reigns not from a distant castle, but from the Cross, from the midst of our own pain, our own feelings of abandonment, our own struggles with sin. We do not follow a distant, untouchable monarch, but a Shepherd-King who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

So how do we apply this today? We acknowledge Christ as King by embracing the logic of the Cross. We serve our King not with grand gestures of worldly power, but with the humble, daily acts of love: by forgiving someone who has hurt us, by patiently bearing our own sufferings, by defending the unborn and the marginalized, and by kneeling in adoration before the Eucharist, where the King of Glory veils Himself in the form of bread.

On this Solemnity, let our hearts echo the prayer of the Good Thief: “Jesus, remember me.” Let us place our entire trust in the King who promises Paradise. For His Kingdom is our homeland, and His Cross is the scepter of our everlasting hope. Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.