SUNDAY OF CHRIST KING
DIMANCHE DU CHRIST ROI
DOMINGO DE CRISTO REY
DOMINGO DE CRISTO REY
The feast of Christ the King of the universe corresponds
to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This choice makes this feastthe
summit of our faith. To those who still have trouble with the title of king, and
to each of us, the liturgy of the Word proposes to us to deepen this faith.
Yes, Jesus Christ is king! He never challenged this title, as suggested in the
gospel of that day which mentions the mockery of the leaders of the people and
the soldiers, and the inscription placed on the cross: "this is the king
of the Jews"!
Jesus Christ is king; but he refused to give in to nostalgia for some of the
people who were waiting for a political Messiah. Likewise, he did not hesitate
to distinguish himself from Pilate for whom royalty was synonymous with
military power.
Jesus Christ is king and his kingship is boundless; but it revealed itself
through the rejection and humiliation of the cross. The Cross is where the
strength of God's saving love reveals itself, where Christ reveals Himself as God
the Savior, as God not only ‘with us but for us’.
While men mock andtorture him, while they judge and condemn him, it is actually
Jesus who exercises Judgment and saves the humanity.
On the cross he manifests himself as king at the ultimate moment, when he leans
toward the earth, to Mary and John, signs of the rising Church and sends them the
Holy Spirit. From his death has sprung life, the prince of darkness is routed,
as he had announced. The kingdom of God now offers life which no one can take
from us.
Through the event of the cross, we are introduced into the kingdom of love and
life of Christ. He had promised it: "When I have been brought up from the
earth, I will draw all men to myself." Unlike the kings of the earth who
dominate by imposing themselves, Christ reigns by attracting, provoking a free
and confident answer. Through a yes as tenuous as it is, Christ can realize the
unheard, so to the criminal who repents at the death’s door, he can promise
eternal life!
At our baptism, Christ not only introduced us in his kingship, but also
establishedrelays of his kingdom of love and life.
This presupposes for us a desire to live from his teaching, to let ourselves be
rooted in his Gospel. Onlythe Gospel can strengthen our attachment to Jesus and
allow us to follow him. But we mustlearn to receive the teaching of Jesus in
its totality, without deciding according to our options or conveniences.
Rooted in the Word of God, we will be able to serve His
Kingdom of truth and refuse that lies become a means of access to the various
powers in our society.
Rooted in the Word, we can serve the Kingdom of peace and deny that violence is
the usual remedy to settle conflicts in the world or a means of expression in
our society.
Rooted in the Word, we can serve the Kingdom of Life and deny that a human
person can be legally killed before his birth or at the end of his life on
earth.
By welcoming the Word of God, by giving it a place in our
personal prayer, we will place ourselves more and more under the kingship of
Christ the Savior and will allow the world to welcome him in his turn.
Christusvincit,
Christusregnat, Christ is victor, Christ is king, we love to sing. Yes, His Kingdom is here! Despite appearances,
God reigns and saves the world today. Will we have the audacity to announce it?
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