Background
Surprisingly, this Solemnity of Christ the
King is not that old. It was instituted
by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Identifying
Christ as King may seem obvious but the reason His Holiness placed this
Solemnity on the liturgical calendar seems even more fitting for us today than
in 1925. Pope Pius XI felt that the
culture of his day was living as if Christ didn't exist. In our highly secularized culture of today
this Solemnity reminds us that Jesus Christ is our Ruler and He is Head over
all nations and governments. On the old
calendar or what the Church now calls the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite,
this Solemnity was and is celebrated on the last Sunday of October, just before
the Solemnity of All Saints. On the
revised calendar or Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, it is the final Sunday of
Ordinary Time, hence the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Traditionally for this Solemnity, an
appropriate hymn from the Latin Motet begins with the words: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus
imperat – Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules!
First Reading Commentary
This First Reading is apocalyptic as it
deals with the last days and eternity.
Without working the brain too hard, Jesus
can be seen as the fulfillment of this Reading especially with the use of the
words, "Son of Man," as Jesus often referred to Himself using those
very same words.
We also identify Jesus in this Reading by
referring to the Gospels: "You shall see the Son of Man, sitting on the
right Hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64); also, "All power is
given to Me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew
28:18).
Most comforting is
the final verse which assures us that His dominion is everlasting and shall
never be destroyed.
Second Reading Commentary
The Book of Revelation can be very
confusing and often avoided by many who admirably make Scripture reading a
daily practice. This Reading, however,
is a pretty clear description of the Kingship of Jesus Christ. He is described here as the "Ruler of
the kings of the earth" which fittingly makes Him the King of kings.
As with any ruler, citizens cling to the
hope that their leader will make decisions that are best for their well-being and
future. Jesus saw fit to love us,
sacrifice Himself for us, free us from our sins, destroy death and offer us the
gift of eternal joy and peace. And
thanks be to God, Jesus is not subject to term limitations. His Kingship is forever!
Alpha and Omega are
the first and last letters respectively of the Greek alphabet and are used here
to signify that Jesus is the beginning and the end, "the One Who is and
Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty" - the Everlasting Universal King.
Gospel Commentary
One of the writers of the early Church, Origen
Adamantius, had written a commentary on the Lord's Prayer; and he reminds us
that the Kingdom of God cannot be seen because it is within us. He adds: "When a man prays that God's
Kingdom may come, he is praying, as he should, for the Kingdom of God, which is
within him, that it may rise, flourish and reach its full growth."
In this Gospel, Jesus tells Pilate: "My
Kingdom does not belong to this world."
If God's Kingdom is to rise, flourish and reach its full growth within
us, then it's important to let go of worldly attachments – to be in the world
but not of it. And letting go doesn't
necessarily mean that it has to be cast out or thrown away; but if by some unfortunate
circumstance any worldly possessions were lost forever, our spiritual life needs
to be strong enough and mature enough to be able to proclaim harmoniously with
the holy man Job: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). It is certain, then, that the unshakeable Kingdom
of God can make its presence known to the world through us.
Continuing with Pilate's interrogation,
Jesus adds: "I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My
Voice." Missing from this Gospel
passage is Pilate's next question: “Quid
est veritas?” - "What is truth?"
The dictionary defines truth as: Conformity to fact or actuality. Jesus proclaims Himself to be the Truth when
He says: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). Christians absolutely believe that Jesus is
the Truth and must continue to draw ever closer to Him because today's world
constantly challenges beliefs and tempts disciples to question faith. But in truth, Sacred Scripture warns that
this would happen: "For the time will come when people will not tolerate
sound doctrine, but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will
accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted
to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3).
The truth is that
Jesus is the only Way and by diving deeper into Sacred Scripture and the events
of Christ's persecution and death, what is found there is that in our Lord's day
the population was defined mostly by two categories: Jew and Gentile. And perhaps by allowing Himself to be
betrayed by one and crucified by the other, exposes the truth and reality that
all are in need of His saving grace. All
need to prostrate themselves before the Feet of the King of kings. Christus
vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat --Christ conquers, Christ reigns,
Christ rules!
