Friar’s Corner: Christ our King is alive!
2 Samuel 5:1-3; Psalm 122:1-5; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43
Now we finish another Church liturgical year. I am so excited. This may sound silly or funny but I feel like I am on a launching pad ready to take off for heaven. Or you might say the door of the plane is closed and we are on the runway ready to take off for heaven, waiting for clearance from the tower. Friends, every day we are here on earth is one day closer to leaving this planet. Do we have the sense that we ought to live a better life so we shall go to a glorious place? We don’t have to pack our bags, because we take nothing with us and leave our physical body behind for a glorious spiritual “body.”
On this Solemnity of Christ the King, it is hard to visualize Jesus as a king since the U.S. does not have a king. Kings represent a certain kind of power, influence, authority and leadership over their realm. Our president has these characteristics with the responsibility to serve our citizens. He was elected by our nation and only in office for a minimum of 4 years and only for two terms. Not a lot of nations have kings or queens these days and they don’t have ultimate power.
The first Feast of Christ the King
When was this feast established and what does it mean for us? We go back to the early part of the 20th century when there were movements like communism, socialism and other political theories to remove God. We hear of persons like Stalin, Lenin, Hitler and Mussolini. A war broke out between various nations called World War I from 1914 to 1918. Pope Pius XI established this feast for October in 1925 to try to help bring nations to know that Jesus is a God of peace and order for all peoples.
Fr. Jovian P. Lang, OFM, in his book, “Dictionary of the Liturgy,” said about this feast.
This feast was celebrated on the last Sunday of October to foster the awareness of Christ’s dominion over all people and to establish peace among nations. After Vatican Council II, the feast was transferred to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, the Sunday before Advent, on which day the human race is consecrated to the Sacred Heart through the Litany of the Sacred Heart and the prayer recited before the Blessed Sacrament.
This feast celebrates Christ’s Kingship in an altogether non-worldly way. Jesus was anointed by the Father with the oil of gladness as Eternal Priest and universal King. As Priest, he offered His life on the altar of the Cross and redeemed the human race by this one perfect sacrifice of peace. (He took away the punish of every repentant human person for their sins.) As King, he claims dominion over all creation, that He may present to the almighty Father a Kingdom of truth and life, a Kingdom of holiness and grace, a Kingdom of justice, love and peace.
Picture Jesus
We can picture Jesus in many different ways. Much depends on how we were raised by our parents and their understanding and practice of our Faith. Some depend on their school education and the influence of their associates and their culture. The basic key to our Faith is coming to know and love Jesus as our personal lord and savior. As we meet and understand Jesus’ role in our life, we begin to live our life in response to Jesus’ love for us.
Perhaps we have seen many pictures of Jesus doing many things. We can see him in the many stories we read and movies we have seen about him in the gospel stories. Some think of Jesus in his bloody suffering, death and burial. Jesus is not dead and still in a tomb in Jerusalem. He is alive and gloriously reigning in heaven and in our lives if we are responding to his love for us. He offers himself to us each day in the Eucharistic banquette. He teaches us from scripture and offers us his own Body and Blood as spiritual nourishment on our journey to heaven. It is a daily miracle and the best meal on earth.
Sometimes I think of communion as going to the gas station to get our gas tank filled up. Jesus is the best fuel. He forgives our sins, teaches us in our scriptures and changes bread and wine into his own presence as food for us. Is this “amazing grace?” What an awesome God we have so much in love for us. Let us “open our satellite dish” and receive all the good news Jesus has for us.
Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. I also pray for safe travel for all who will be traveling this week.
Thanksgiving blessings,
