The last Sunday of Ordinary time is known as the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It reminds us that we are sons and daughters of a King and can help build up his kingdom on earth.

Throughout the Old Testament and the letters of Paul we hear that God has broken into the lives of women and men while they were journeying through life, utterly transforming their awareness of themselves, their understanding of life, and their appreciation of God. Through that experience they found a broader vision of themselves as the people of God, hearers of the invitation issued by Jesus to women and men of “Follow me.”

God has called us in Jesus Christ to help to build the kingdom. Hence all of Christian existence has to do with understanding this call and with organizing our response to this call. As lay people we are invited to follow the example of Christ, to accept our call and our cross and follow him to eternal glory. As a community of Christian disciples we have been called to gather to provide space for the presence and the power of the living Christ in the world. Are we ready to accept this two-fold call and be transformed by Christ’s presence? Are we prepared to embark on this communal journey of discovering more about God, more about God’s creative project, more about our ultimate end in life?

Let us reflect on these questions and discern how God wants us to build up his kingdom.

-John Scally
Teacher of Theology at Trinity College
Dublin (Ireland)