Fr. Eugene Lobo SJ –
Feast of Christ the King (34th and last Sunday of the Year) November 20, 2022
2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43
On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and is observed on this Sunday as it helps us to meditate on Christ the King and Lord and at the same time reflect on the Second and Final Coming of Christ, the Last Judgment, and the end of the world. The Solemnity of Christ the King is a newer feast in the Catholic Church. The pontiff was witness to a turbulent time in the world’s history. The First World War had just come to an end. Secularism was on the rise and dangerous dictatorships were emerging in Europe and beyond. Christ had long been referred to as King, but Pope could see the respect and reverence for Christ’s authority waning in the midst of the unrest during the first part of the 20th century. In response, the feast was set with the intent to reaffirm and refocus faith and respect in the kingship of Jesus. Pope Pius XI felt that nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state. Secondly that leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ. Finally that the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.
From the dawn of civilization, kings have arisen who have dreamed of possessing a worldwide dominion, a universal kingdom that would last forever. But here we have a king who is remarkably different from the kings of the earth. He came to serve all, even His enemies. He was a king, the God-man, with a vulnerable human nature and at the same time a person all-powerful. To all intents and purposes, Christ, on the cross, was the perfect picture of defeat. His enemies derided and mocked Him; his companions, with the exception of John and a few women, had abandoned Him. It remained for one of the thieves crucified with Him to recognize Christ for what He was a King and he asks for a place in his kingdom and receives it.
In the Gospel of today Jesus demonstrates how he is a messiah and king by granting salvation to a believing criminal merely for the asking. In the first reading, we heard how David became the leader of his people. But he recognizes that God alone is the true King of Israel. In the second reading, we have a marvellous picture of Christ.
Many in today’s democratic setup will discover that the title “King” does not register too well. Hence they feel that a better image of today’s Feast is achieved by presenting it as the Feast of Christ the Leader. Leadership is the theme of the feast day Mass, as we have seen in the different readings and it is an important theme for us, as Christians, to consider. All of us some time or other would like to think of ourselves as leaders. If we listen to the average conversation and we find that there is little done by others that we could have done better. Jesus certainly knew the oppressive nature of secular kings and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service and commanded his followers to be servants as well.
In fact, there are two highly contrasting pictures of Jesus as King given in the readings today. There is the highly triumphant picture give in the Second Reading from the letter to the Colossians. Paul tells the Colossians how grateful they ought to be to God for having made them Christians and citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. He then goes on to describe what Christ is to them as he is to us. Jesus is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things. God wanted all perfection to be found in him, and all things to be reconciled through him when he made peace by his death on the cross.
The institution of the feast of the Kingship of Christ was intended to be a rallying call to all Christians to acknowledge the Sovereignty of Christ not only over Christians but also on all creation. In the first reading, we have David anointed king of Israel by Samuel the Prophet. But Saul, though side-lined by God already, refuses to step aside. This led to a prolonged struggle between them and finally ends when Paul took his own life in a battle with the Philistines. With Saul dead, all the tribes come to David in Hebron. God now sends David to Hebron and there he draws his inspiration from the glory days of Israel’s origins.
In the Gospel, we are given a very different picture indeed. Twice in the passage, Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews. Two other times he is called the Messiah. All these references are directed to Jesus as he hung on the cross and they are all made in mockery of him. Here we are presented with a man being executed in shame and ignominy, bleeding and battered on a cross, one of the cruellest and degrading punishments ever devised. Over his head are the mocking words: “This is the King of the Jews.” To every human imagination, he does not look like a king.
Even while he is dying on the cross, Jesus reaches out to sinners with the gift of Salvation. This comes as one of the two criminals being crucified along with Jesus asks to be remembered when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Jesus grants him salvation. The other criminal, however, shows no sign of faith and continues the mockery of others. What this criminal and others fail to understand the divine necessity of Jesus’ death. They do not realize that what he is really doing by dying on the cross is bringing about salvation for those who cannot save themselves.
During his life, Jesus preached the Kingdom of God and openly told the disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. It means we must put God first in our lives. It means we must come under the rule of this God/King, Jesus Christ. It means we must confess with our mouths, Jesus is Lord and does what he says. He alone is King of kings and Lord of Lords. He called his disciples not servants, but friends, and bestowing on them a share in His priesthood and kingship. Though he died, unlike other kings, he died willingly to save His people, and His death was not a result of a battle lost or a plan gone awry, but of a glorious victory planned before the world began. He rose in glory and went to his heavenly coronation. Jesus knew perfectly well the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service and commanded his followers to be servants as well., confirming the title publicly, and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given Him in Heaven and on earth.
Today we are honouring Jesus the King who humbled himself in order to raise us up to the status of the Sons of God, a king who suffered the cruellest of deaths so that we could have an unending life of happiness when we leave this earth. Jesus said: “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke. 17:21). This is the spiritual aspect of the Kingdom of God, which is much more important than its exterior and corporeal aspects.
Reflecting on this feast Pope Benedict XVI said: We know from the Gospels that Jesus refused the title of king when this was intended in a political sense, along the lines of the “kings of the nations”. Instead, during his passion, he took upon himself a singular regalness before Pilate and declared that his kingdom is not of this world. The Father entrusted to his Son the mission of giving eternal life to man, loving him even unto the supreme sacrifice, and at the same time conferring on him the power of judgment, from the moment he became Son of man, like us in every way. The Gospel insists upon the universal royalty of Christ the Judge, with the magnificent parable of the final judgment. The images are simple, the language is common, but the message is extremely important: it is the truth on our ultimate destiny and on the criteria with which we will be valued.
There once was a very wealthy and curious king. This king had a huge boulder placed in the middle of a road. Then he hid nearby to see if anyone would try to remove the gigantic rock from the road. The first people to pass by were some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers. Rather than moving it, they simply walked around it. A few loudly blamed the King for not maintaining the roads. Not one of them tried to move the boulder. Finally, a peasant came along. His arms were full of vegetables. When he got near the boulder, rather than simply walking around it as the others had, the peasant put down his load and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. It took a lot of effort but he finally succeeded. The peasant gathered up his load and was ready to go on his way when he saw a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The peasant opened the purse. The purse was stuffed full of gold coins and a note from the king. The king’s note said the purse’s gold was a reward for moving the boulder from the road. The king showed the peasant what many of us never understand: every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.