December 22
O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.
For those of us who call the United States of America our home, “King” might not be the image of Jesus that resonates with us the most. We have been raised on stories of the American Revolution more often than those of Sts. Henry II, Louis IX, or Edward the Confessor. Even many of the fictitious kings we grew up with were evil or bumbling and ineffective.
Evil or ineffective kings are not only the stuff of fairy tales, however. You just need to read the Scriptures to see that! In the Old Testament, after the time of the Judges, the people begged the prophet Samuel to give them a king. They wanted to be like the other nations that surrounded them. Samuel resisted. Why? Because they weren't like other nations. They were God’s chosen people. And He was their King. An earthly king would take advantage of them. He would tax them and take their daughters and their land. But the Lord, in his humility and mercy, grants the people’s request.
“And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sam 8:7, emphasis added). The people did not need a king, because they had God as their king. But they rejected his kingship. Do we?
While we need governments to serve the public good and keep the peace, and we require earthly leadership to rule, judge, and serve, do not forget that they ultimately answer to a King. We all do.
Do not forget that you are on this earth to serve your true King. This entire universe was created for that purpose: that we may know, love, and serve God and join him in heaven at the end of this very brief time in the valley of tears. We were not created for this earth - quite the contrary. It was created for us, as an instrument to get us to the kingdom of God in its fullness: heaven.
Something rules you. It may be your anxieties and fears. It might be your passions and earthly desires. Maybe it’s your quest for wealth, power, or comfort. It might be your love for this life. Something rules you; something dictates your choices and the way you live your life. If it’s any of those things, it’s time to ask God for help placing him on the throne of our hearts.
We must make him King of our mind, heart, and will. We must direct all of our thoughts and actions to him, taking “every thought captive in obedience to Christ” our King (2 Cor 10:5).
The reminder of today’s antiphon is to place God in the center of our lives. If we stay faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us. At the end of our lives, we will be judged by our lives, not the lives of others, and the simple question: Was Christ my King?
Lord, help me to accept your rule. I am a stubborn, selfish, fallen human being. I do not want to submit, and every day by my choices I repeat that awful phrase of the Devil: “I will not serve.” Lord, I want to serve! I want to be like the Blessed Mother, who found joy in becoming your servant. Help me to live in the present moment. Cast my anxiety aside. I trust that if I am a loyal subject in the your kingdom in this life, an even greater kingdom will await me in the next.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).