Christ, king and priest and king forever

On Sunday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to read and reflect on a scripture passage from the first book of Samuel (16:1-13) entitled "David is anointed king". Our treasure is from a treatise on the Trinity by Faustinus Luciferanus, priest. Faustinus (or Faustus) Luciferanus was a fourth-century priest and theologian associated with the followers of Lucifer of Cagliari, a staunch defender of the Church's teaching on the divinity of Christ during the Arian controversy. He is best known for writing a treatise on the Trinity from which the Office of Readings takes the reflection "Christ, King and Priest Forever." In that work, he explains that Jesus is the eternal King and Priest, anointed not with earthly oil but with the Holy Spirit, and that all Christian dignity and ministry flow from Him. He is not the same person as Faustus of Riez, who lived about a century later and is known primarily for his writings on grace and free will. In his treatise on the Trinity Faustinus teaches that Jesus Christ is truly God, united with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the one divine Trinity, and that faith in this truth is essential to the Christian faith and our salvation. The principal spiritual insight of our "treasure" from Faustinus's passage "Christ, king, and priest forever" is that Jesus uniquely fulfills both the royal mission of David and the priesthood prefigured by Melchizedek. His anointing by the Holy Spirit makes Him the eternal King and Priest, and all Christian participation in priestly and royal dignity flows from Him. The message of our first reading from 1 Samuel 16:1–13 is that God looks at the heart, not at outward appearances. When God sent Samuel to anoint a new king, Samuel was impressed by the appearance and stature of David's older brothers. But God told him, "Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart." God chose David, the youngest son and a humble shepherd, because of his faith, character, and openness to God's will. The main takeaway is that God's choices are based on inner qualities rather than human standards of success, power, or appearance. The passage encourages us to cultivate hearts that are faithful, humble, and obedient to God, trusting that He sees our true worth and can call ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things in His service.