November 26, 2023
Solemnity for Jesus Christ, King of di Universe
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Jesus tell His disciples: “Wen di Son of Man come for His glory, and all di angels come with Him, He go siddon for His glorious throne, and all di nations go gather for His front. He go separate dem from one another, as shepherd dey separate sheep from goat. He go put di sheep for His right side and di goats for His left side.” Matthew 25:31–33
Happy Solemnity for Jesus Christ, King of di Universe! Di Church arrange her liturgical year so dat we go reflect on di whole life of Christ for different seasons and different times. Advent na time to prepare for di celebration of Christ first coming, and e still turn our mind to His final coming. Christmas na time to celebrate di Incarnation, wen di Son of God show Himself to di world through His birth. Lent and Easter turn our mind to di suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, and Ordinary Time bring before us di many lessons and miracles from Jesus public ministry. Apart from dis, plenty special memorials, feasts and solemnities dey wey help us put our mind deeply on one particular person or aspect of our faith. Each feast and season dey meant to help us enter more deeply into di mystery of faith wey we dey celebrate.
Dis na di last Sunday of our Church year. Today, we dey put our mind on di end of time, wen Jesus go come back to judge di living and di dead and establish His Kingdom wey go last forever and full of glory, for everybody to see. Di Catechism of di Catholic Church describe dis moment like dis:
Di Last Judgment go come wen Christ return for glory. Na only di Father know di day and di hour; na only Him dey decide di exact time wey e go come. Den, through His Son Jesus Christ, He go pronounce di final word on all history. We go know di full and final meaning of di whole work of creation and di whole plan and work of salvation, and we go understand di wonderful ways wey His Providence take lead everything reach dia final end. Di Last Judgment go show say God justice dey overcome all di injustice wey His creatures don commit, and say God love strong pass death (#1040).
God truly na mystery. Na Him be di greatest of all mysteries. As mystery, God go forever remain beyond wetin we know finish, because He no get limit and He dey forever. He don reveal Himself to us, but we go continue forever to know Him more deeply because His nature no get limit or end. E important make we understand dis, because wen we reflect on di many mysteries wey God don reveal, we must approach dem as things wey we know, but wey we still no know finish. Di solemnity wey we dey celebrate today na one of dose mysteries.
About dis great moment wey dey come, we know say di Son of God go return to earth to pronounce His final judgment on all di living and di dead. Na dat go be di final moment of time as we know am now. Di dead go rise, and our bodies and souls go join together again. Di righteous go enter di glorious New Heavens and Earth. Dem wey dey for mortal sin go receive condemnation for all eternity. Di world no go be world wey sin don spoil again. All sickness and disorder for nature go disappear. Peace go reign, and everything go dey for perfect order. God go be King over everything, and He go rule dis new world forever.
As we dey celebrate dis glorious mystery of our faith, we must accept and believe everything wey we know about am. But as we dey do so, we must still approach am with deep humility, and admit to ourselves say we no go ever fully understand how wonderful and awe-inspiring dat day go be until e come. No idea for dis earth go ever come close to describing dat moment fully, but we must hold on to our belief in am with faith wey deep and no dey shake.
Today, reflect with deep faith on dis glorious and final moment wey still dey come. For dat day, di only thing wey go matter na how faithful you don dey to di will of God. Your love for God and your neighbour go be like open book wey everybody fit see, and di rewards for dat love go remain with you forever. As you dey think about dat day with faith, allow am encourage you to do everything wey you fit do today to prepare for di Last Judgment. Wen dat day come, e go don too late to change. Prepare today, tomorrow and every day of your life, so dat wen Jesus return for all His glory, e go be di most glorious day of your life.
King of the Universe, wey get glory pass all and wey be King over everything, I believe and I dey declare with faith wey stand firm say You go come back again to judge the living and the dead, and You go establish Your glorious Kingdom wey no go ever end. I beg You, help me understand how great that moment go be, and help me do everything wey I fit do, every day of my life, to prepare for am, so that e go truly be the beginning of the best day of my life. Jesus, na You I trust.
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