Christ the King: King of our Heart! Happy Thanksgiving!
Christ the King: King of our Heart! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy feast of Christ the King! Polycarp, the second-century bishop of Smyrna, was brought before the Roman authorities and told to curse Christ, and he would be released. He replied, "Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong: how can I blaspheme my King, Jesus Christ, who saved me?" The Roman officer replied, "Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt." But Polycarp said, "You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly. Do what you wish."
On Sunday, the Thirty-Fourth, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King! In 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King at the close of the liturgical year, and he proclaimed: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (“The peace of Christ in the reign of Christ”). This feast asserts the sovereignty of Christ the King. The disciple of Christ, the citizen of His Kingdom, is called to obey the commandment of love: love your God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).
The first reading from the apocalyptic book of Daniel talks about the kingship of the Lord, the promised Messiah. For this Sunday, we read Daniel’s vision (7:14-15). Daniel says, “I saw one like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven…” His vision of the “Son of Man” refers to the one who brings salvation to the world, a clear prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. Last weekend, we saw in the Gospel of Mark 13:26 that Jesus identifies himself as the “Son of Man.” In Daniel’s vision, he saw God seated on a throne, with “all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.” He is King of Kings, Lord of Glory, His kingdom will last forever. In the book of Daniel, the everlasting dominion of the Lord and His kingdom is repeated several times. The New Testament proves that Jesus, the Messiah, is the King of Kings. Christ, the eternal King whose kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), sits at the right hand of the Father, as we proclaim in the Nicene Creed.
We read from the Gospel of John instead of Mark for Christ the King. The first reading prepared us to read the Gospel of John from his passion narrative. Christ did not deny he was king, but he clarified that he was not king in the worldly, political sense. He did not come to deliver people from the oppression by the Romans but the oppression of sin and evil, which is the greatest form of enslavement. His focus was heaven, where he will be crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9), and where the homage is paid to him in worship. At the passion, the coronation of Jesus began, and its culmination was at his Ascension. At the time of the Crucifixion, Pilate ordered a sign to hand on the Cross that reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” We know that his crown was made out of thorns, not a jewel. His dominion over the earth extends through preaching and the sacramental ministry of the Church. He is the King of our hearts. He is the King of Kings. Happy Feast of Christ the King!
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the basis of faith in God. We gather to celebrate the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is central to our faith. To be thankful is to be a person of faith because we recognize where everything comes from. It is expressed in how we live our lives, recognize God’s gift to us, and become gifts to others.
Mother Teresa shared a life story. One evening, a gentleman told Mother Teresa that there was a Hindu family with eight children who had not eaten for a long time. Do something for them. She took rice and immediately gave it to them. Then the mother took the rice, went inside, returned with a small bag, gave it to one of her children, and said something. That child took off with the bag. Mother Teresa was curious and asked the mother where did the child go. She told Mother Teresa that her next-door neighbor, a Muslim family, didn’t have anything for a couple of days. So, she shared half of the rice she received with them. Happy Thanksgiving!
Advent: December 1 is the First Sunday of Advent, New Liturgical Year C. During Advent, please join me for an online reflection every Monday. It will be available on Facebook and YouTube.