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The Kingship of Jesus
Long – awaited royalty. The royalty of Jesus is prefigured with symbols and prophecies in the Old Testament. The first book of the Bible, the Genesis, presents the prophecy of the patriarch Jacob (Gen.49:8). Natan’s prophecy to King David announces the future King Messiah (1Ch.17:11-14). The psalms also celebrate the kingship of the Lord Jesus (Ps 2:71,109). The prophet Isaiah is revealed the birth of the Messiah (Is 9:2,5-6). Jeremiah announces the new Messianic times (Ger.23:5) and Micah the place where this King would be born (Mic.5:1-3). Daniel anticipates the delivery of universal sovereignty to the Messiah (Dn.7:13-14).
Declared rule from the beginning. Jesus is the King of Messiah, promised by God to his people, descendent of the dynasty of David, is clearly professed by the Church from the beginning, as evidenced by the Evangelist Mathew (Mt.1:1), or the Apostle of Paul(Acts13:23). The royalty of the Infant already revealed with the Annunciation, by the words of the Archangel Gabriel (Lk.1,32-33). The royal dignity of the child is evidently attested by the adoration of the Magi, who while coming from afar and while being pagans, expressly seek “the King of the Jews” (Mt.2:2) and as soon as they find him, they prostrate him before among the various gifts they offer gold and incense.
Royalty revealed progressively. The long period of daily life in Nazareth hides his royal dignity in the eyes of men, but this is intuited, even if confusingly, during his public ministry, because of the authority he teaches and the miracles he performs. All the preaching of Jesus is centered on the Kingdom that he has come to establish, and this kingdom claims the primacy (Mt.6:33), promulgates the laws with the beatitudes (Mt.5), it specifies the behaviors with instructions (Mt.6:7); he describes nature with parables of the kingdom (Mt.13), he teaches the prayer with Our Father (Mt.6), lists the guests and the excluded (Lk.6:20-26); Finally, he performs the distinctive signs, that is healing and the liberation from the demons (Mt.11:4-6). Jesus clearly says that this Kingdom begins with him that conquers the dominion of Satan over men and re-establish the Lordship of God (Mt.12:28). He then warns that, in order to enter the Kingdom, it is necessary to become children, and that the greater one will be the one who has become smaller (Mt.18:3), that is, anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last and the servant of all (Mk.9:35).
Royalty resplendent on the cross. Evangelist John presents the passion of Christ as the ceremonial investiture of the King: the cross is his throne, because it is on that wood shines his love more, in that blood he loved us “to the end” is from the Calvary that has attracted everyone to himself. This sovereign love of Christ manifested itself powerfully in his glorious resurrection. In fact, the triumph of risen Jesus is the heart of the Christian faith, as the Liturgy of Easter and Ascension Day are well expressed.
The royalty of Jesus and the problem of evil. If the sovereignty of Christ’s love is offered to everyone, yet not everyone is welcomed. The love of Jesus when it is welcomed marks the coming of the kingdom of heaven when it is rejected declares the advent of the “empire of darkness” (Lk.23:53), an empire that has its time of apparent victory. The clash between Christ the King, “the Light of the World” (jN.8:12), and Satan, emperor of darkness, confronts us with the problem of presents the evil in the world. “Where is the Lordship of Jesus in our world? If he is king, why we are sinners, injustices, disorder”? They are questioning that all, before or after arise and invoke an answer. As clouds can create shadow areas but do not turn off sunlight, so the darkness of evil can prove man’s faith, but cannot undo the Light of the Risen Lord and take away the certainty of his victory. Therefore, necessary to preserve in faith even in the midst of trials.
Glorious kingship at the end of time. If the present is still the time of combat between those who belong to the Kingdom of God and those who under the dominion of Satan, yet it is full of hope because the outcome is not uncertain, but already in the resurrection of Christ is the final victory. The triumph of Christ and his elect will be fully revealed at the end of the story, as St. Mathew clearly describes through Final Judgment (Mt.25), after which the Son will deliver everything to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24-26,28).
Royalty contemplated in the Infant of Prague. From now on, the believer who recognizes in the Infant Jesus the Little King, is called to entertain himself daily and completely under his dominion, as the gaze reminds us of the glorious final goal, even in the most difficult situations, as reminds us of the Feast of Christ the King, which closes the liturgical year. St. Teresa Benedict of the Cross was particularly affected by Royalty of the Infant Jesus in Prague. Living deeply the drama of the Jewish people persecuted by Nazism.