The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.
Today's Mass establishes the titles for Christ's royalty over men: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; "All things were created by Him"; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is Head of the Church, "holding in all things the primacy"; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.
Today's Mass also describes the qualities of Christ's kingdom. This kingdom is: 1) supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings; 2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places; 3) eternal, for "The Lord shall sit a King forever"; 4) spiritual, Christ's "kingdom is not of this world".
This feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The weekend after this feast is the start of the season of advent (the Church's new year). The feast of Christ the King has implications for every aspect of our Church life. Its main message, however, is of the power of love and the mercy of God, in any and every circumstance of life. As we struggle for truth and for justice, let us learn from him to use only the weapons of love, as it is with love that Jesus continues to conquer the human heart. The Feast was also a reminder to the totalitarian governments all over the world that Jesus Christ is the only Sovereign King. Christ is our spiritual King and Ruler who rules by truth and love. We declare our loyalty to him by the quality of our Christian commitment, expressed in our serving of others with sacrificial and forgiving love, and by our solidarity with the poor. Although presidents, prime ministers, spiritual leaders, Chancellors, heads of state and governments, emperors, kings and Queens with real worldly ruling power abound today, nevertheless Christ the Lord remains the King of the Universe and King of our hearts, with absolute powers far ahead of all the temporal powers put together. By allowing him to take control of our lives, we rank higher than all the titled men and women of this world. In thousands of human hearts all over the world, Jesus still reigns as King. The Cross is his throne and the Sermon on the Mount, his rule of law. His citizens need obey only one major law: “Love God with all your being, and love others as I have loved you.” His love is selfless, compassionate, forgiving, and unconditional. He is a King with a saving and liberating mission: freeing us from all types of bondage, enabling us to live peacefully and happily on earth, and promising us an inheritance in the eternal life of heaven. We have a few lessons to take home from today's feast:
1) Our commitment to Christ the King must be total and absolute.
2) We must give him total Control over our lives. It may be good to ask: What does Jesus, my King, want me to do or say in this particular situation? Are we praying each day that our King will give us the right words to say to the people we meet that day, words that will make us true ambassadors of Jesus? Does our home life as well as the way we conduct ourselves with our friends come under the Kingship of Jesus? Or do we try to please ourselves rather than him?
3) We should follow Christ the King’s example We are called to be a people who reach out to embrace the enemy and the stranger, a people who are called to glory in diversity, a people who will endlessly forgive, a people who will reach out in compassion to the poor and to the marginalized sectors of our society, a people who will support one another in prayer, a people who will realize that we are called not to be served, but to serve (CCC #786).
4) Let us obey the law of love of Christ the King Citizens of Christ’s kingdom are expected to observe only one major law--the law of love. "Love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." On this great Feast of Christ, the King, let us resolve to obey his commandment of love by sharing what we have with all his needy children
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