The Solemnity Of Christ The King
On this thirty fourth Sunday of Ordinary time the curtain falls and brings to closure our current liturgical cycle with the great Solemnity of Christ the King. It is a popular feast as it celebrates Jesus Christ as King of the Universe. It is a joyful celebration as we confess that Jesus is Lord of all times and seasons, all nations and peoples. Today we’re reminded that the Lord rules over all creation. Jesus is Lord of all creation!
To understand God as King, we need to understand God as God, not as being within the universe; God is an absolute being who stands independently as the creator and source of the whole universe. There are misunderstandings about what it means to call Jesus King. Christ didn’t come to displace Pilate and remove the Roman Emperor from his throne, or even King Herod.
When Pope Pius XI gave this feast to the Church in 1925 it was to oppose the claims of totalitarian regimes, not because God wanted to replace human authority. The Pope of the day was teaching that totalitarianism is a kind of idolatry that endeavours to displace God and as a consequence ignores justice and truth.
In our own time, we see a rise in nationalism. Nationalism if its balanced is good and natural but if unbalanced and fanatical it can have disastrous consequences for humanity.
Today we need to be reminded in our divided times of shifting global climates that Christ is the true Sovereign of all. It is ultimately in Christ as Sovereign Lord of the Universe that true peace and justice reign.
Let us pray today in the words of the preface for today’s Solemnity;
We pray that he might present to the immensity of your majesty an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
May you bask in the joys and blessings of Christ the King of the Universe.
Monsignor Paul Farmer
