TWO KINGDOMS, TWO LOYALTIES: THE COUNTERCULTURE THAT IS CHRISTIANITY TOP OF FORM

READINGS: OUR LORD JESUS, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

One of the titles of Christ Jesus as revealed in the Book of Revelation is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev 19:11-16). In the gospel of John, Pilate asked Jesus. "Are you the King of the Jews?”. Jesus replied, "My kingdom is of this world” (Jn18:33b-37). Yes, not of this world but embedded in this world with counter-cultural consequences.

In 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the Solemnity of Christ the King in response to the growing secularism then, that sought to cast Christ out of the public domain; not very different from what we are still experiencing today where integrity cost promotions and is mocked as naivety; faith is mocked as ignorance or foolishness; where Christian conviction is often caricatured as intolerance, where being silent is safer than speaking the truth, where choosing Christ means not being cool, etc. This conflict is not simply because people hate goodness or reject truth. It is because two kingdoms—the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of Christ—are on a collision course. We live in a world that champions self-expression and the pursuit of personal goals by whatever means possible—the end justifies the means. It is a kingdom that seeks power to conquer and subdue; a kingdom where money, power, superiority, and affluence are worshipped and weaponized, where truth is negotiable, morality is relative, the highest virtue is convenience, and the question is not “what is right” but “what works”. A culture that numbs the conscience, celebrates pride, is noisy with distraction, detraction, drama, and manipulation; where cynicism is welcome comfort, social media rewards outrage, gossip, and slander, politics is weaponized for division, and time is spent scrolling through endless feeds with little or no time to feed the soul. 

Against this backdrop, is the kingdom that Christ proclaims, calling us to something more profound: humility, repentance, reconciliation, and love; serving rather than being served, returning evil with good, forgiving the neighbor and praying for the enemy, seeking the well-being of others, speaking truth to conscience, loving without compromise, serving without seeking applause, self-giving not self-advancement, service not dominance, faithfulness not popularity, integrity, honesty, and transparency, not drama, dishonesty, and manipulations. 

Unfortunately, we live as citizens of both kingdoms—the Kingdom of Christ within the kingdom of this world. As the old African proverb says, “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” In this case, the “grass” is the soul caught between these competing kingdoms. The Christian faithful are asked to live in the world but not of it. When believers engage this world with the values of God’s kingdom, they become reminders that there is a higher standard, a very uncomfortable reminder because it exposes what they would prefer to stay hidden, and this can be dangerous with detrimental consequences. 

So, my friends, if you feel the pressure against you because you are following the values of Christ, as your king, take heart and know that you are not being attacked because you are wrong; you are being resisted because you are loyal to a higher calling. Loyalty to Christ will always look like rebellion to a world that worships itself and is allergic to accountability and humility. The early Christians didn’t conquer Rome by fighting it; they transformed it by out-loving it. So, despite all opposition, let’s keep our loyalty firm, our witness courageous, and our hope unshaken.