On this last Sunday of Ordinary Time we celebrate the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This Solemnity was formerly celebrated on the Sunday before All Saints’ Day to signify that the reign of Christ brings about the sanctification of mankind. 
Its present location highlights another aspect: the reign of Christ is the goal and fullness of human history. The vision of the prophet Daniel in today’s first reading envisions the moment when God the Father hands over to the Son all sovereignty, glory and the kingdom. This event can be identified with what we proclaim in the Creed: “he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father”. Christ reigns to bring about the salvation of humanity through the preaching of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments. When his reign is fully established and sin and death are completely subdued and defeated, Christ will hand over his kingdom to God the Father, so that God may be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:24-28). Then will come fullness and eternity.
Christ reigns to bring about the salvation of humanity through the preaching of the Gospel and the celebration of the sacraments.
Eternity is not endless time, but the total absence of time, duration and deadlines. It is the simultaneous totality of all presence in God. We can hardly express it, much less fully comprehend it. Christ attained that kingship through the passion and the cross; his kingship was not established amidst the acclamations of Palm Sunday, but amidst the jeers of Good Friday. It is not a reign acquired by popularity, but based on the testimony of truth.
Today’s Gospel passage is a decisive fragment of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate on the morning of his crucifixion. Jesus was accused before the Roman governor of the crime of sedition. Rome ruled Judea as a territory subject to military force. Some currents of Judaism at the time expected the Messiah to liberate Judea from Roman oppression. Jesus, however, affirmed that he would be the Messiah through passion and death. His opponents, taking advantage of the fact that he identified himself as the Messiah, accused him of sedition before the Roman governor, a crime that carried the death penalty, which was precisely what they sought.
The reign of Jesus Christ is not a reign acquired by popularity, but based on the testimony of the truth.
At first, Pilate maintains a certain objectivity. He wants to substantiate the accusation, so he questions Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” It is a fair question. Pilate makes it clear: “Your people and the chief priests have handed you over to me.” Then comes the underlying question, “What have you done?” Pilate probably perceived in Jesus’ behavior that he did not pose a political threat.
Jesus responds with memorable words: “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought that I should not fall into the hands of the Jews. But my kingdom is not from here.” Jesus claims his dignity as king, but makes it clear that his kingdom does not challenge Roman power by military means. He is a king without an army or soldiers. Pilate, puzzled, asks, “So you are a king?” Jesus replies, “I was born and came into the world to be a witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” The kingdom of Jesus Christ is founded on truth, not force.
Truth, in the first place, is God. To witness to the truth is to witness to God and his love for us, a love that led him to give his own Son for our salvation. Truth is also the witness of Jesus Christ that he is the Son of God who gives eternal life to those who believe in him. It is the light of God that enlightens those who allow themselves to be guided by faith. Pilate, puzzled, cuts the conversation short with a question that remained unanswered, “What is truth?” This question remains crucial today, in a world where truth seems fragmented and subjective. However, truth does not depend on majorities; it is the adequacy of thought to reality.
To be a witness to the truth is to be a witness to God and his love for us, a love that led him to give his own Son for our salvation.
In the death and resurrection of Jesus the truth he proclaimed was realized. That is why the apostle John in Revelation acclaims the reign of Jesus: “He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth; he who loved us, purified us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father.” Jesus Christ is the faithful witness because he bore witness to God’s love all the way to the cross. He is the firstborn from the dead because he conquered death and rose again. 
United to him by faith and the sacraments, we too can rise and live with God forever. Christ is sovereign over the kings of the earth, for while human powers govern our external life, he governs consciences and examines actions according to his justice. He purified us from our sins and, by the Holy Spirit, consecrated us as a people of God who offer each day the sacrifice of praise and of life itself. We no longer live for ourselves, but for God, and that is our salvation.