My Dear People, 

In the first Reading, the passage of Daniel 7 is a famous and controversial one in biblical studies because in it two figures, or persons, appear, both of whom have divine characteristics. The “Ancient One” or “Ancient of Days” mentioned in 7:13 is clearly an image of the Lord God. Yet the “one like a Son of Man” who comes “on the clouds of Heaven” is also a divine figure; because “riding on the clouds” is a divine prerogative (see Ps 18:7-15). Many scholars have noted this, and some, like Jewish Bible scholar Daniel Boyarin, have freely admitted that in the Judaism studies there was already a notion of more than one person in the Godhead. 

As Christians, we read this prophetic text and recognize progressive revelation. That is, as biblical revelation proceeds toward the coming of Christ, the truths of faith start to become more clear. So, in Daniel 7, an Old Testament text, we have an early vision of at least two persons of the Holy Trinity, God the Father and God the Son. 

It is no accident, by the way, that Jesus’s favorite form of self-reverence in the Gospels is “Son of Man.”  When Jesus calls Himself Son of Man, I am convinced He has in mind two Old Testament texts. Particularly our text here, Daniel 7, where the “Son of Man” receives all authority at the final judgement; and, Psalm 8, where the Son of Man is made “a little less than a God.”  Ps 8:6 quotes: “for  a little while, less than God.” But then, has: “all things [put] at his feet” (Ps 8:7). People think that Jesus’s title is, in fact, a reference to his eschatological role as king and judge. This becomes most clear at Jesus’s final trial when He was asked point-blank if He was the Christ.

But He was silent and made no answer. Again, the high priest asks Him, “Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed?” Jesus answered: “I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61-62)

So, at this dramatic point in His earthly ministry, Jesus refers in our First Reading to define His identity and point to His role as eschatological judge. 

The passage of the Gospel today mentions when Pilate asks Jesus if He is ‘king of the Jews’? Jesus was accused of being king, which was contrary to Roman Law, since they had Caesar. And Jesus replies: “His kingdom is not of this world!” If it were so, there would have been legions of angels defending Him. This is one of the great dramatic dialogues in biblical literature. Indeed, in all world literature! It lacks only Pilate’s cynical, or perhaps despairing, final reply: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).

This passage is a great reminder to all about the nature of Jesus’s kingdom and His kingship.  It is not of this world. 

That does not mean it is not “in” this world. The Kingdom of Christ is very much in this world. Its visible manifestation is the Catholic Church. We could go into a description of many impressive external features of the Catholic Church! With over a billion members and two thousand years of history, it is both the world’s biggest and oldest organization. Contrary to appearances, it remains a major, perhaps the major, driver of world culture. World institutions and concepts that everyone takes for granted—like the hospitals, the universities, and “human rights”—come squarely out of the cultural heritage of the Catholic Church, even if their origin is forgotten. Even the dominant political force of our day—Western social liberalism with its suffocating “political correctness,” “anti-discrimination,” and unsustainable government-funded welfare programs—has religious roots in Catholicism.   It’s basically Catholic charity divorced from Catholic morality. 

So, we could talk about visible manifestations of Christ’s kingdom and its influence on the world, but this would be a lengthy distraction. 

The heart of Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. It is in the next. 

As Catholics, we distinguish the Church Triumphant (the saints in heaven) from the Church Militant (all of us struggling here below). The heart of the Church, and the Kingdom, is with the Church Triumphant—the “Jerusalem [which is] above. . . our mother” (Gal 4:26), to which we are joined by faith and sacraments. 

          [Source: Sunday Mass Reading for year B by John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente