Sunday, November 20, 2022
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Solemnity) Year C
First Reading: 2 SAMUEL 5:1-3
Responsorial Psalm: PSALMS 122:1-5
Second Reading: COLOSSIANS 1:12-20
Gospel: LUKE 23:35-43
The solemnity of Christ the King which we celebrate today was instituted only recently by Pope Pius XI in 1925. He instituted it in response to atheistic and totalitarian political regimes around the world that denied the rights of God and the Church. While promulgating this solemnity, Pope Pius XI in the Encyclical, Quas Primas, noted that the chief causes of evil in the world; violence and the difficulties under which mankind was labouring is that majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and His holy law out of their lives, and it has no place whether in private affairs or in politics. And he said that as long as individuals and states refuse to submit to the rule of Christ, there would be no real hope of lasting peace among the nations. The climate in which the feast was born was also for example the Mexican revolution between 1910 and 1920 when conservative Catholic Christians went to their deaths crying out to their last breath, “long live Christ the King.” This feast aims to proclaim the truth before all the nations of the world, that there is only one king of the Universe and that king is Jesus Christ who is the king of kings and the Lord of the Universe. And every ruler should submit to Him.
But if the feast is recent, its contents and central ideas are not. In the Credo, the Church affirms her belief that “of Christ’s kingdom, there will be no end.” In doing this, the Church repeats the announcement made to Mary by the angel, “He will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob, and of His kingdom, there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).
So, why does the Church present us with the Passion of Christ on the feast of Christ the King? The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” The soldiers also jeered at him, “if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” By way of mockery, Pilate had the charge for which He is brought before him, written and put above his cross, “This is the King of the Jews.” Two criminals were crucified alongside Jesus. Luke tells us one of them reviled Him, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” But the other rebuked him, “have you no fear of God?” we got the same sentence as He did but, in our case, we deserved it; we are paying for what we did. He has done nothing wrong. Turning to Jesus, he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The plea of this repentant thief acknowledges two things; the kingship of Christ and second, that His kingdom is not of this world; it is one to which Jesus is going even as He dies upon the cross.
Jesus expresses His kingship not by exerting power like the kings of this world but by showing mercy. His kingship is equiparated to the status of shepherd; looking out for the stray sheep, tender and caring for the weak. He is the Good Shepherd who will not spare Himself to save His flock. His reign goes beyond this world. He has destroyed the power of sin and death by His death on the cross. St. Paul invites us to give thanks to the Father who has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The question to ask on the feast of Christ the King is not whether Jesus reigns in our world or in our country but whether He reigns in my life. We know that many people reject the kingship of Christ and His kingship is not recognized by world governments as Pope Pius XI noted while instituting the feast of Christ the king. We must become first of all the change we want to see in the world. Is Christ the King and Lord of my life? Who rules in my life, and who determines the choices that I make: Christ or mammon? Accepting the reign of Christ is to accept and live by His rule, allowing His rule to inform the choices I make and serving Him.
Happy Feast of Christ the King
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.