There is No King Like This
November 19, 2025
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven (Colossians 1:12-20).
This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. What a name for a feast! That said, writing as an American, ours is a nation that doesn’t like kings all that much. Kings often conjure up in our minds images of men seated on thrones, living in luxury, remote from their people, who are often living much simpler and harder lives. How then are we to enter into, let alone celebrate, this feast?
A first step is to understand the responsibilities – as opposed to rights – of kings in Scripture. There were three primary tasks entrusted to those who received their kingly authority from God. The first was to lead the army into battle when fighting was required to protect the people. Note, the responsibility was not to send the army into battle, but to lead it into battle, to himself be at the head of the army. The second and third tasks of a king had to do with looking after those who had no one to look after them, namely widows and orphans, and then the poor. Far from being waited on hand and foot and ordering everyone around, to be a king in the Old Testament carried serious obligations. Tragically, they virtually never lived up to these, often instead abusing their authority and wielding it as power.
Jesus, however, is the true King and perfect King, the fulfillment of all that a king was called to be in Scripture. This is perhaps most dramatically seen in how Jesus went to war for us. The king was supposed to lead his army into battle against the enemy, but Jesus didn’t simply lead the army, He went alone and unaided into battle against “the power of darkness,” as Paul puts it in this week’s 2nd Reading. What exactly is the power of darkness? Well, ever since that fateful day in Eden, when our first parents were captured by the enemy of our race, Satan, we have been enslaved by the rule of Death and Sin. On our own, there is no escaping from their horrific clutches. By our own doing, that is, by believing the enemy’s lie that God is not a good Father, cannot be trusted, and that we can be happier apart from Him, our first parents put us in what seemed like a hopeless situation.
But God didn’t make you and me to die, and He didn’t make us to be slaves.
He could have chosen to rescue us by sending an angel. He could have chosen to rescue us by simply saying a word, after all He brought the universe into existence by simply speaking. But He didn’t do these or any other thing. Instead, He came and personally did it, perhaps so that we would not doubt His goodness and love, for He defeated the enslaving powers and rescued us by allowing Himself to be crucified. By killing the man Jesus, the enemy thought he had defeated this troublesome and puzzling individual. He never suspected, however, that the cross was something like a divine “Trojan Horse”; for “inside” the man Jesus was the second Person of the Trinity, the One through whom all things were created, whether visible or invisible – including the angels.
And all of this God did for you. By name. And for me. This is our King! A King who lays down His life for the creatures He made in His own image and likeness; a King who rescues those who are unable to get free on their own; a King who is love. What a delight, joy, and privilege it is to serve such a great God!
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
November 2025
For our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that he be granted a spirit of courage and right judgment, and a spirit of knowledge and love, as he shepherds those entrusted to his care.
For those joining us for a Leadership Immersive from the University of Mary, Atlanta, and Penguin Random House, that our time together may open hearts to the Father’s vision for His Church.
For all the prayer and planning for The Jesus Conference: Mobilizing the Church for the World He Loves, that we remain attentive to the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit.
For Fr. John Riccardo, the ACTS XXIX missionaries, and our families, that Jesus and Our Blessed Mother keep us ever close to their hearts.
For our Episcopal Advisory Council, Board of Directors, and faithful partners, that God tenderly draw them near and fill them with the comfort of His presence.
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