In closing a liturgical year, we observe the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe on the Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We begin any given liturgical year (A, B, C) with
Advent Season, in preparation for the first coming of Christ in incarnation.
Then, liturgically, we celebrate the coming of the incarnated Christ during
Christmas Season, from the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord until the
Baptism of the Lord, which is the Sunday after Epiphany. Following Christmas
Season is Ordinary Time, which goes until the eve of Ash Wednesday. From Ash
Wednesday to the sundown of Holy Thursday, we observe Lenten Season to prepare
for the climax of Paschal Mystery, the incarnated Christ’s death and
resurrection. From the sundown of Holy Thursday until Paschal Vigil at the
sundown of Holy Saturday, through Good Friday, we observe Paschal Triduum. Then
we liturgically celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ from Paschal
Vigil until Pentecost. It means that we commemorate the Ascension of Christ
during Paschal Season, on the Sunday before Pentecost Sunday. After Pentecost
Sunday, Ordinary Time resumes until the Saturday of the 34th Week,
which is the week of Christ the King Sunday. In fact, liturgical year is
culminated on the Solemnity of Christ the King.
As a matter of fact, the kingship of Christ was made
know to David by God through Nathan:
I will assign a place for my people Israel
and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed,
nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, and
from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you
rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord also declares to you that the
Lord will make a house for you: when your days have been completed and you rest
with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your
loins, and I will establish his kingdom.
He it is who shall build a house for my
name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human
rod and with human punishments; but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I
withdrew it from Saul who was before you. Your house and your kingdom are firm
forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever (2
Samuel 7:10-16; cf. 1 Chronicles 17:7-14).
Through the above words of God to David, it was made
known that Christ will reign as Davidic king, offspring after him, sprung from
his loins (2 Samuel 7:12). And this Davidic king, the Christ, a shoot sprout
from the stump of Jesse, who is the father of David, anointed and filled with the
Holy Spirit, endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to reign the world
forever (Isaiah 11:1-16). And this was affirmed when Archangel Gabriel spoke to
Mary at the Annunciation:
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end
(Luke 1:31-33).
With the above words of Gabriel, it was made known to
Mary that the Christ whom she has conceived in her womb by the power of the
Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) is, indeed, the Davidic King and the Son of God
Almighty. And the King was born of Mary (Luke 2:7). However, he was not born in
the royal palace in Jerusalem but in poverty in the outskirts of Bethlehem, and
this was made known only to the shepherds, while the rest of the world was
unaware (Luke 2:1-20).
Then, when he was about age 30 when he began his
public ministry up his baptism (Luke 3:23). Therefore, ever since he began his public
ministry to proclaim his Kingdom, Christ the King has been manifesting. And
throughout any given liturgical year, we follow the King from Galilee to
Jerusalem. Through Holy Week, we follow him in Jerusalem, on his road to
Calvary. Through Paschal Season, we follow the King from his resurrection to
ascension.
Christ the King is our Parakletos (Advocate)(1 John
2:1). While he is up in heaven to prepare the place for us in the Father’s
house, until his return to take us with him when this place is ready (John
14:1-3), another Parakletos, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of the truth,
is sent to us so that he is always with us until his return, assuring peace
(John 14:16-18; 26-28; cf. Matthew 28:20).
The question to us is how we have been serving our
King, the Christ, who has been with us ever since his first coming in the human
birth, at least, ever since the beginning of his public ministry. Through his
public ministry, he has gradually revealed his Christological identity, as
recorded in the Gospels. And this has been revealed to us through the Gospels,
as well as the testimonies and the epistles of the Apostles. Or do we think
that we will not be able to encounter Christ, the King, until his return?
The Gospel Reading of the Solemnity of Christ the King
of the Universe, on Cycle A, Matthew 25:31-46, which is the final portion of
Jesus’ Olivette Discourse, reminds us that the way we serve our King, the
Christ, is a significant criterion of the final judgement upon his return, besides
the fruitfulness of our work with the grace bestowed upon us (Matthew 25:14-30,
the Gospel Reading of the 33rd Sunday, Cycle A), and the
preparedness with vigilance for his return (Matthew 25:1-13, the Gospel Reading
of the 32nd Sunday, Cycle A).
Though Christ the King, the Parakletos (1 John 2:1)
left the earth through Ascension (Luke 24:50-53), he continues to be with us through
the Holy Spirit, another Parakletos (John 14:16-18, 26-28; Matthew
28:20). And we would not learn from the Holy Spirit who brings the gifts,
unless Christ leaves (John 16:7, 13).
Christ the King called us to receive the Holy Spirit
(John 20:22), and so we received the power through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) on
Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11) to serve Christ the King on our respective apostolic
mission works. So, how are we using the power of the Holy Spirit in our works?
How are we utilizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Is our work bearing abundant
fruit? And are prepared to meet the King upon his return any time?
The Gospel Reading (Matthew 25:31-46) points out a
blind spot in our work for the King and warns us that our unawareness of this
will result in condemnation at the last judgement when he returns.
Upon his return, the King will say to those are to be
saved and brought to his Kingdom with him:
Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a
stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for
me, in prison and you visited me (Matthew 25:34-36).
But he will say to those who are to be condemned:
Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for
one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me
(Matthew 25:40).
Depart from me, you accursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you
gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you
gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and
you did not care for me (Matthew 25:41-43).
Amen, I say to you, what you did not do
for one of these least ones, you did not do for me
(Matthew 25:45).
Those who are saved are his sheep on the right and
those who are condemned are goats on the left (Matthew 25:33), as he separates
them when he returns in his glory as the King (Matthew 25:31-32). And in this Gospel
narrative (Matthew 25:31-46), the King is the Judge (1 Samuel 8:5), as well as
the shepherd (2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Chronicles 11:2). As the Judge, the King
separates his sheep, those who are to be saved to the right from goats to the
left, as the shepherd only let his sheep in his fold.
It is obvious that Christ the King judges, as a
shepherd separates his sheep and goats that do not belong to him, according to
who recognized him in those who are least among us and responded with care, as
exemplified by the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The King’s sheep knows their
King, even though he is in disguise in poverty, marginalization, sickness, and
condemnation by the world, because his sheep really know him no matter how he
looks and may be found (i.e. John 10:27). For this, the King, the Good Shepherd
(John 10:11, 14) reward his sheep with eternal life (John 10:28).
The bottom line is that those who are saved as his
sheep knows, recognizes, and follows their King, the Good Shepherd, no matter
how he appears, even as a man in poverty, in prison, and in need. But those who
do not belong to his flock, the goats, do not recognize him in such ways
because they only think of the King as a politically strong man, like Caesar.
And their ignorance of the true King blind them from recognizing him when he
appears as one of the least among us.
Which side would you be on, if the King had returned
and judged us now? And it would depend on how much you know him and how well
you have served him.
Ever since Advent, we have come to know our King
through the scripture readings at Mass, during this liturgical year. And we
have repented our sins against him through penitential seasons, like Lent.
Therefore, we should have no problem as long as we have followed him in his teaching
throughout the readings in the liturgical year.
We know that our King came into this world as a poor baby,
born in an animal stable, placed in a manger, because there was no room in the
inn (Luke 2:6-7). And he died as condemned by the world, abandoned by many of
his disciples (John 18:1-19:37). Thus, we know we find our King in where kings
of the world are not found. Therefore, we should not say to the King when he
returns and judges us, things like, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and
welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and
visit you?”(Matthew 25:37-39).
We have spent this liturgical year not to find
ourselves in such ignorance for not serving our King at all. Our King dwells among us (John 1:14),
especially among those who are considered as least in the society (Matthew
25:45).
Do we hear our Good Shepherd’s voice among the poor, marginalized, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, and condemned by the world? If we hear, have we followed his voice and responded to him with compassionate care? And our answer to such questions will determine if we are to be judged as the King’s sheep or not.
The Christ the King is, indeed the Good Shepherd, who
sorts his sheep from those who are not when he makes the final judgement. The
First Reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17) describes that the Good Shepherd returns
to send his judgement upon those whom he entrusted to shepherd his sheep fail
to fulfil their duties. Specifically, this narrative refers to the judgement on
failed shepherds of Judah in the past, as they led Judah to the Babylonian
seize, resulting in the Babylonian exile.
Though Josiah began a reform to bring corrupted Judah
back to faith, renewing the covenant (2 Kings 22:1-23:30; 2 Chronicles
34:1-35:2), the kings of Judah after him let the kingdom go astray, bringing it
to the destruction by the Babylonians and resulting in the Babylonian exile (2
Kings 23:31-25:30; 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Jeremiah 52:1-34). The fall of
Jerusalem was explained to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 33:21-33). The scattered sheep in
the First Reading refers to the Israelites in the Babylonian exile.
Today, we have many scattered sheep, though they are
not in the Babylonian exile. Those scattered sheep are baptized Catholics who
have bee led astray by heretics, relativism, as well as, the new age
spirituality. They may not recognize the King in where he is found. But,
hopefully, they will wake up to the truth in Christ the King and begin to hear
his voice, as their Good Shepherd, by the time of his return to redeem them.
The Shepherd aspect of Christ the King is reflected in
the Responsorial Psalm (23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6), echoing it in the First Reading (Ezekiel
33:21-33).
In the Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28), we
see a powerful image of Christ the King,
as the mighty conquer of the enemy of life, death, calling our attention to his
resurrection. Paul wrote:
For just as in Adam all die, so too in
Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the
firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the
end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has
destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed
is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.” But when it says that
everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who
subjected everything to him. When everything is subjected to him, then the Son
himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so
that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:22-28).
The above Pauline description of Christ the King echoes
what he revealed to John in Revelation 19:11-22:5. In other words, at the end,
upon the King’s return, everything in the world is to be surrendered and
subjected to God Almighty in the Kingdom. But those who refuse will not be
brought into the Kingdom but condemned and destroyed. So this is an aspect of the
King’s judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).
The return of Christ the King (Revelation 2:16; 3:11;
19:11-16; 22:7, 12, 20) means the return of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14),
who has ascended into heaven to prepare the place for his sheep whom he will
redeem (i.e. John 14:1-2), upon his judgement (Revelation 20:11-15). Until
then, continue to celebrate our Thanksgiving in the Sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist (i.e. Matthew 26:26-29) and serve the King through our apostolic
works (John 14:12; Matthew 28:19). And we make our works fruitful by securely
attaching ourselves to him to let his joy be our complete joy so that our work
with love is great (John 15:1-17). And to make our work of love great and
right, we make sure we reach out to those who are considered as least among us
with love because it is where we hear our Good Shepherd’s voice (Matthew
25:31-46).
This solemnity, Christ the King of the Universe, was
instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 with his encyclical, Quas Primas, in response to a growing threat of relativistic modernism to the Catholic
Church. Though Pope Leo XIII had warned the Church and urged to pray the Rosary
to fight this modernism problem, many Catholics had drifted away, misled by
modernism-driven heresies. Pope Pius XI felt urgent need to stop this
scattering of Catholics and to bring those who had gone astray because of
modernism back to his papal fold, as a successor of Peter, who was commissioned
by Christ to shepherd on behalf of the Good Shepherd, the Christ (John 10:11,
14; 21:15-17).
In these post-Vatican II, post-modern era, the
scattering of the Catholics continues on with new age spirituality, as well as,
relativism. We see many heretical catechists, and those who were taught by them
are likely to regard being Catholic as a “disease” like alcoholism, identifying
themselves as “recovering Catholic”, “not religious but spiritual”.
Will these have been misled by modernistic relativism
heretics ever find true salvation in Yoga, Reiki, or other new age spiritual
practices? Unbeknownst to them, they may make themselves more susceptible to
demonic influences, as exorcists, who see a sharp increase the need of exorcism
in recent years, warn.
Pope Pius XI addresses his reason to institute the
Solemnity of Christ the King:
In
the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of Our
Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to the chief
causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember
saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the
majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives;
that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said
further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule
of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace
among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ;
and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ,
that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor
fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our
Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope of a brighter future at
the sight of a more widespread and keener interest evinced in Christ and his
Church, the one Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned
the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom were
preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience
(Quas Primas, 1).
Pope Pius XI reminds us that the world has gone so
disordered as a result of thrusting out Christ from our personal life and
nation’s governance because of modernism’s influence. In order to stop this, he
established the Solemn feast of Christ the King of the Universe to remind us
that Christ is not just the King of the Catholic Christendom but of the entire
Universe so that all shall submit themselves to him and his reign. And this
begins with our personal conversion to let him reign our hearts as the King.
Then, there will be no reason for relativism, new age spirituality, communism,
and other modernistic heretics to exist. It means that we will not give space and reason for those who scatter us from his herd.
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