Joke: A five-year-old boy was stalling going to bed. He asked for a glass of juice. "No, sir," his father answered. "No more juice. I'm the king of the juice in this house." "That's not right, Daddy," the young fellow retorted. "Our Sunday school teacher said Jesus is the king of the juice."  

Today, the Church throughout the whole world celebrates the Feast of Christ the King which marks the end of the Church’s liturgical year. Our five-year-old boy was stalling to go to bed confused that his dad was the king of the juice drink different from Christ the King of the Jewish people whom he learned in Sunday school. Why does the Church celebrate the feast of Christ the King to mark the end of the liturgical year? How would we recognize Jesus Christ as the king of the universe?

In all today’s readings, we are invited to focus our attention on the three letters—DKP—Dominion, Kingship, and Possession of a King. DKP is not the acronym for Dragon Killing Points in the loot system that is used by guilds in massively multiplayer online games that our kids might be familiar with. Dragon Killing Points, according to Wikipedia, are the points that are awarded to players for defeating bosses and redeemed for items that those bosses would 'drop' in the game. However, Christ’s DKP: Dominion, Kingship, and Possession described the enthronement of the victorious Christ, the king in heaven, and all his glory.

In today’s first reading, taken from the book of Daniel, Daniel’s vision is the vision of hope that consoled and strengthened those who suffered persecution. The vision describes “the one like a son of man coming, [and] Ancient One was presented before him, the one like a son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship. His dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingship shall not be destroyed.” This mysterious Son of man that Daniel saw is nobody else, but Jesus Christ who would later identify himself, coming on the clouds, glorified by God the Father at the moment of his baptism and given dominion that will last forever. What are the Dominion and Kingship that Daniel mentions here?

The dominion and kingship that the Son of Man possessed do not belong to this world that’s what Jesus responded to Pilate’s question described in today’s Gospel saying that his kingdom “does not belong to this world.” His dominion and kingship are nothing other than the truth, and that is what he comes to testify. Anyone who possesses this truth will listen to his voice, Jesus said. What is the truth that Jesus mentions? Jesus rules his kingdom as a king, unlike other kings, serving others rather than dominating them; his kingship is rooted in truth rather than in physical forces, and his possession is nothing more than the sacrificial love offering for others and not based on the human’s rules and regulations. Jesus’ sacrificial love offering is described so well under the pen of the author of the book of Revelation described in today’s second reading saying, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings, who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” His DKP is conquered not by any force or oppression but by love and sacrifice. Just as Jesus conquered his DKP through his great love and sacrifice for the sake of our salvation, what have we done in return for his love and sacrifice?

Just as Daniel’s vision of hope consoled and strengthened those who suffered persecution, what would help to sustain us in our dark moments: The moment of doubt, of sadness, and even of losing a loved one, the moment of infidelity between husband and wife, of children running away from parents, and many other dark moments of our lives? Should we pray for our increasing faith, hope, and love when we have to face any dark moment in our lives? Just as Christ conquered his DKP, dominion, kingship, and possession by his great love and sacrificial offering of himself, have we come to others with love and sacrifice? Or have we come to them by other means? What is it difference between Christ the King with other kings in this universe? He is the King of the universe who comes to testify for the Truth, to teach us the Truth, and to shed his blood for his love, what have we done to testify that we are the followers of Christ the King? Would it profit us if Christ is not the king of our heart, mind, and soul? What should we do and how should we live our lives to testify for the truth that He has come to testify? In celebrating the feast of Christ the King, DKP, not Dragon Killing Points, but Dominion, Kingship, and Possession, Jesus conquered them by his sacrificial love, what should we do to share his kingship? The decision is yours.