Christ's kingdom is out of this world as well as in this world. He is King of everything that is, was, or ever will be. For a Christian, this is axiomatic. It is an atomic statement, an ontological fact, just as the Church, as our reading from Colossians indicates, is an ontological entity, not a voluntary association of the like-minded.
The sarcastic sign Pilate had hung on the Lord's Cross was true as far as it went: Jesus is "The king of the Jews." But He is also king of the Gentiles, even of Caesar. Pope Pius XII wrote about Catholics having a supranationality. In the end, every knee shall bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
In his Apostolic Letter, In Unitate Fidei, promulgated today, given in advance of his Apostolic Journey to Turkey to observe the 1,700th anniversary of Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, Pope Leo XIV noted
The profession of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and God is the center of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. This is the heart of our Christian life. For this reason, we commit to follow Jesus as our master, companion, brother and friend. But the Nicene Creed asks for more: it reminds us not to forget that Jesus Christ is the Lord (Kyrios), the Son of the living God who “for our salvation came down from heaven” and died “for our sake” on the cross, opening the way to new life for us through his resurrection and ascension (sec. 11)
Christ is not a king like other kings. He is not a demanding, selfish, cruel tyrant, paranoid about rivals and eager to assert His authority by using corecive means. He isn't drunk with power or domineering. While being perfectly just, He is merciful, selfless, and kind. When He mounted the cross, He mounted His throne.
As the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer for today's observance puts it, Christ offered Himself "on the altar of the Cross" to present to the Father
an eternal and universal kingdom,Nothing really gets at the "theology" of observances such as today's like the Preface, which serves as a shining example of liturgy as prima theologia- first theology.
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, peace, and love
With one notable exception, it is only thieves who dwell in Christ's kingdom. Even this exception, Mary, the Mother of God, confesses herself a "lowly servant." So, the question is not whether or not you're a "thief." I am and you are. Rather, the question is, do you know you're a thief? Then the question becomes, are you a good thief or a bad one?
In his last will and testament, discovered after his martyrdom, Christian de Chergé, abbot of Our Lady of Atlas abbey in Tibhirine, Algeria, addressing his killer, wrote this: "I commend you to the God in whose face I see yours. And may we find each other, happy 'good thieves' in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both."
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