Scepter and Crown
Theme: Jesus is King of the Gentiles
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
Throughout the entire Old Testament, God promised that eventually, all people would acknowledge Him as Lord. The children of Israel were His Chosen People, special in His eyes because they would be considered like the firstborn son of the world. They would set the example for everyone else and show the world how to know, love, and serve the Lord. They would lead the way to Him.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic King who was to reign over the whole world. And through the Catholic Church, Jesus does rule. “Catholic,” of course, means universal. The Church is universal in that it is for all people, in all places, and in all times. There are different rites within the Church, but there is no American Catholic Church or Russian Catholic Church or Chinese Catholic Church. (The Chinese government thinks it has a Church, but the one which is obedient to Rome is simply Catholic.) I know Maronite Catholics who are born and raised in the South. I know Byzantine Catholics who are native New Yorkers. The rite is not a separate Church, but a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
It’s an amazing thing to contemplate that we are a part of the same Church as people in Uganda or India. That Jesus is King over all of us, no matter where we are. That we are all a part of the Body of Christ. From the rising of the sun to its setting, a perfect offering is made to God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus Christ is Lord of the World.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
Meditation text and images © Christine Johnson
Domestic Vocation 